Expert: Carol Schlitt - 10/1/2007

Question
Hi Carol,
I have been googling to discover if it is ok to eat broad bean skins but can't confirm it. By "skins" I mean the pods, but I am having some difficulty discerning whether the various websites means just the "skin" of the bean itself, as opposed to the skin of the pod.

Hence, it is ok to eat the skin of the pod of the fava (broad) bean? (ie. the pod!!)

Thanks very much if you can clarify that for me.

Best wishes ,
Mike.

When "skins" come up on various sites they say you can but it is phrased in such a way that I'm not sure if they are talking about the pods

Answer
Hi Mike,

It is safe to eat the pod of the fava bean but you probably only want to do so with very young, small beans, cooking and eating just like green beans. Most people will remove the slightly hairy outer pod and downy inside as it is not exactly the best tasting part of the bean.  Also, as the bean ages you'll want to remove the thin outer coat of the bean (the "skin on the bean"), as this part too is not as tasty.

So yes -- it is okay to eat the pod of the fava bean.

Carol