On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 865
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LegumesThelegumes(fromtheLatinlegere,
“togather”)areplantsinthebeanfamily,the
Leguminosae, whose members bear pods that
containseveralseeds.Thetermlegumeisalso
used to name their seeds. Many legumes are
vines that climb on tall grasses and other
plants to reach full sunlight, and like the
grasses grow, go to seed, and die over a few
months. The legumes produce seeds that are
especially rich in protein, thanks to their
symbiosiswithbacteriathatliveintheirroots
andfeedthemwithnitrogenfromtheair.The
same symbiosis means that legumes actually
enrich the soil they grow in with nitrogen
compounds, which is why various legumes
have been grown as rotation crops at least
since Roman times. Their relatively large
seeds are attractive to animals, and it’s
thoughtthatmuchoftheremarkablediversity
inthebeansandpeasistheresultofsurvival
pressures exerted by insects. Legume seeds
are camouflaged by colored coats, and
protectedwithanarrayofseveralbiochemical
defenses.
Lentils,broadbeans,peas,andchickpeas
areallnativetotheFertileCrescentofthe
NearEast.Theywereadaptedforsprouting
andquicklyreproducinginthecool,wet
seasonbeforethesummerdrought,andwere
thefirstsubstantialfoodstoripeninthe
spring.Thesoyandmungbeanswere
indigenoustoAsia,andpeanuts,limabeans,
andcommonbeanstotheAmericas.
Nuts Thenuts (from an Indo-European root
meaning “compressed”) come from several
differentplantfamilies,notjustone.Theyare
generally large seeds enclosed in hard shells,
and borne on long-lived trees. The seeds are
large both to make them attractive to animal
dispersers(whichburysomeforlateruseand
effectivelyplanttheonestheyforget),andto
givetheseedlinganadequatefoodsupplyfor
slow, prolonged growth in the partial shade.
