Bean Facts

Did you know?

• The Pharoahs believed lentils helped convey the soul to the heavens.


• Pulses belong to the family Leguminosae and include beans, peas and lentils.


• Pulses and legumes have the unique ability to fix nitrogen and so increase the fertility of the soil as they grow.


• Since ancient times beans have symbolized the embryo, growth and life.


• A beanfeast originally referred to an employer’s annual dinner given to employees.


• Pulses are the richest source of vegetable protein.


• Low GI (glycaemic index) foods such as beans provide natural slowly released energy.


• The Borlotti is the most popular bean of northern Italy and with a high iron content it is widely thought of as the best substitute for meat.


• The latin name for chickpea, Cicer arietinum literally means 'small ram', reflecting its shape, which looks like a ram's head.


• Chickpeas were cultivated in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.