Fava beans (Vicia faba), are actually a member of the pea family, and are one of the oldest known cultivated plants. Favas are also known by an amazing variety of other names: broad beans, Windsor beans, horse beans, and even pigeon beans.

Frequently dried, fava beans have been a part of cuisines all around the Mediterranean and the Chinese have eaten them for more than 5000 years. They've been found in some of the earliest known human settlements and are referred to in legends and lore throughout recorded history.

Fresh fava beans come in large, long (7 to 9 inch) thick pods with a white blanket-like padding inside to protect the pretty beans they carry. Vegetable expert Elizabeth Schneider describes them to a "T" as sleeping bags for the beans. The beans themselves look like small to medium-sized lima or butter beans. Because the fresh beans need to be shelled, then cooked and peeled, they need a little forethought to include on menus. But, just like fresh green peas, the shelling and peeling is a sit-down, social activity. So, instead of stopping to smell the roses, stop to shell and peel the fava beans and then enjoy their buttery texture, bright taste and sparkling green color.

Fresh favas are a sign of spring in Italy and in many American restaurants. Chefs today use the fresh beans to mash or puree and spread on crostini or on plates as the basis for preparations ranging from other vegetables to grilled meats and fish to chicken.

Add fresh fava beans to risottos, spring vegetable stews and ragouts and soups. They are great with their springtime partner - artichokes. A favorite traditional Italian appetizer is peeled cooked fava beans sprinkled with olive oil and salt along with salami, prosciutto and slices of Parmesan or pecorino cheese. Simply wonderful! The beans can be fried, causing the skin to split open, and then salted to produce a crunchy snack. These are popular in China, and also in Thailand where their name means "open-mouth nut".

Broad beans are rich in L-dopa, an important drug against Parkinson's disease. L-dopa is a natriuretic agent, which might help in controling hypertension. (Vered Y, Grosskopf I, Palevitch D, Harsat A, Charach G, Weintraub MS, Graff E. Planta Medica, 63:237-240, 1997)

In ancient Greece and Rome, beans were used in voting; a white bean being used to cast a yes vote, and a black bean for no. Pythagoras called on his disciples to abstain from beans. It is, however, uncertain whether they were meant to abstain from eating beans or from involving themselves in politics.

In Italy, broad beans are traditionally sown on November 2, All Souls Day. Small cakes made in the shape of broad beans (though not of them) are known as fave dei morti or "beans of the dead". According to tradition, Sicily once experienced a failure of all crops other than the beans; the beans kept the population from starvation, and thanks were given to Saint Joseph. Broad beans subsequently became traditional on Saint Joseph's Day altars in many Italian communities. Some people carry a broad bean for good luck; some believe that if one carries a broad bean, one will never be without the essentials of life.

The fava is the bean that inspired the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk".

Health Benefits: The fava bean is neutral in its thermal nature, has a sweet flavor, and tonifies the spleen-pancreas and kidney meridians. It improves the blood circulation and water metabolism. Lui Jilin, in Chinese Dietary Therapy, notes this historical Chinese use of fava beans: For loss of appetite and loose stool owing to weakness in the spleen and stomach meridians, take powdered broad bean mixed with boiling water and sugar. For edema and difficult urination due to a deficiency of the spleen-pancreas function, drink tea made of broad beans. A very small number of people, most especially of Mediterranean origin, can develop acute hemolytic anemia, or favism, after eating fava beans. This condition is very rare.

Use: Fresh fava are available in the spring. Immature pods, up to three inches long, may be cooked whole. The larger coarse green pod is shucked to get at the beans, which have a delicate, slightly earthy flavor. They are usually peeled, especially as the beans become more mature. This may be done before cooking or the beans may be blanched and peeled. One pound of pods yields only 1/2 cup of beans. Although fresh favas may be stored refrigerated (in a paper bag not plastic) for a few days, plan to use them quickly.

PREPARATION: Remove beans from shell. Blanch the beans for a minute or two. Don't overcook at this point. Let cool and slip the bean from the tough hull. Beans are then ready for your recipe.