Broad beans (Vicia faba), faba or fava beans are cultivated as a crop from pre-Neolithic times to present day. Among the earliest cultivated crops, broad beans are easy to grow. In the Bronze Age they're found in such regions as Greece, Turkey and Europe.
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The wild ancestor of V. faba isn't known. Charred faba bean remains are discovered at three Neolithic sites in Lower Galilee, Israel. With radio-carbon dating of the beans, scientists believe they're cultivated by 8250 BCE.
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V. faba is a vetch plant of the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It's among the four most common types of pulses: beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas. Pulse refers to the edible seed inside the pod.
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Nutritionally fava beans are a gift from the gods. They're a great source of protein. A hundred grams of raw beans has a high content (20% or more) of several vitamin and mineral daily values.
Folate 106%
Manganese 77%
Phosphorus 60%
Magnesium 54%
Iron 52%
Thiamine (B1) 48%
Copper 41%
Potassium 35%
Zinc 33%
Vitamin B6 28%
Riboflavin (B2) 28%
... also a good source of selenium (12% DV), calcium (10%) and vitamin K (9%).
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During the Bronze Age nutrition improves through the known lands as people experiment with food and agriculture. Trial and error with cultivation yields another of the best producing crops in Bronze Age Europe, the gold-of-pleasure plant. It's raised as a seed crop for oil.
Improvements happen over time. Broad beans have a short growing season, aiding speed in development of cultivation. The flowers are favorites of pollinators like butterflies and bees. Broad beans are usually eaten while they're still young and tender.
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Harvesting can start by the middle of spring for plants sprouted early in hothouse or otherwise conducive conditions. The plants are usually sown from the beans in early spring and harvested mid to late summer.
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The immature pods are also cooked and eaten as legumes. Young leaves of the plant are consumed raw or cooked. Broad beans are prepared by shelling, or removing them from pods. Beans are steamed or parboiled to remove the coating. They can be fried and salted.
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Left to mature completely they're known as horse beans. Harvested in late autumn they're eaten similar to the other pulses or dried legumes. Together with cereals, fava beans supply the body's daily requirements of amino acids.
The terms horse bean and field bean also refer to cultivars with small, harder seeds more like the wild species, used for animal feed. However the stronger flavor is preferred in some human food recipes, such as falafel.
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Falafel are deep-fried balls or patties in traditional Middle Eastern cuisine. They're made from chickpeas, fava beans or both. Recipes include a range of herbs, spices and foods including onion, parsley, coriander, garlic purée, cumin, black pepper, flour and vegetable oil.
Broad beans are hardy plants. They tolerate harsh and cold climates, making them ideal as a north European crop. By 3000 BCE the bean is known in China. In the Bronze Age and earlier V. faba is cultivated in such lands as Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Europe and Asia.
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Unlike most legumes, broad beans can grow in soils with high saline content, as well as in clay soils. This adaptability aids the success of the plant in the arid south and near East. Overall, broad beans prefer rich loamy earth.
European Bronze Age agriculture is especially associated with development or use of new crops. These include broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), broad bean (Vicia faba) and gold-of-pleasure (Camelina sativa).
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The fava bean is most susceptible to disease and pests in humid environments. The parasitic plant Orobanche crenata uses Vicia faba as a host. Orobanche crenata has no chlorophyll. It taps into nearby plants through the root system and drains them of nutrients.
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