Vicia faba
* In
Ubykh culture, throwing beans on the ground and interpreting the pattern in which they fall was a common method of divination (
favomancy), and the word for "bean-thrower" in that language has become a generic term for seers and soothsayers in general.
* 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.
* In ancient
Greece and
Rome, beans were used as a food for the dead, such as during the annual
Lemuria festival. In some folk legends, such as in
Estonia and the common
Jack and the Beanstalk story, magical beans grow tall enough to bring the hero to the clouds. The
Grimm Brothers collected a story in which a bean splits its sides laughing at the failure of others. Dreaming of a bean is sometimes said to be a sign of impending conflict, though others said that they caused bad dreams.
Pliny claimed that they acted as a
laxative. European folklore also claims that planting beans on
Good Friday or during the night brings good luck.
|
Plate showing broad beans, from Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885. |
* Fava beans are mentioned in a famous line from the movie
Silence of the Lambs, when
Hannibal Lecter says "I ate his
liver with some fava beans and a nice
chianti", which was voted as the #21 best-known movie quote by the
American Film Institute.
* The name and modern term
Fabian derives from this bean.
* Dr D. G. Hessayon (2003).
The Vegetable & Herb Expert. Expert Books. ISBN 0-903-50546-0
*
Complete nutritional info.* http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/chap4/broad.html
* http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Vicia_faba.html
* http://www.kitchengarden.co.za/favabeans.html
*
Alternative Field Crops Manualnds-nl:Platte peters
