Broad Beans

Broad beans are large, flattened, light green pods usually eaten shelled for their delicious beans. Fava are one of the ancient cultivated crops probably originated in the fertile valleys of Asia Minor or Mediterranean region. Unlike in green beans, where whole immature pods eaten, broad beans possess thick indigestible cover that is generally shelled to extract their broad, thick, and flat seeds (beans) inside.

Binomially, fava pods belong to the Fabaceae family, in the genus: Vicia. Scientific name: Vicia faba. Generally used as vegetables, they are one of the popular bean types that can be grown easily in the home gardens.