All about the Fava bean
The new old food
The Fava bean (also known as Broad bean, Horse bean or Faba bean) used to be the most important staple food in the Nordics throughout history. It grows well in our climate, has a subtle, neutral earthy flavour and is packed with nutrients – most of all protein. There is still a lot of Fava bean cultivated in Finland, but today most is used as an ingredient for animal feed. That is, until we decided to change that game.
In our products, we use dried Fava beans. The beans are left out in the fields to dry naturally and harvested only in late autumn. Sun-dried beans, quite simply!
The dried Fava bean is not an easy ingredient to work with, but once you crack it, you get some real good stuff. And here we are, ready to offer you a new world of taste.
Good for you
Fava beans are higly nutritious pulses that contain up to 30 % of protein in dry weight. The high protein content is complemented by a fair amount of dietary fibre, slow carbs and B-vitamins.
Due to the protein and fibre content of fava beans you might not be hungry in a while after a meal. The slow carbs help maintain a more even level of blood sugar which helps keep hunger and the even worse “hangry” at bay.
Good for the environment
The Fava bean improves and protects the soil, not just during its planting year but also for crops that follow in rotation. It fixes nitrogen to the ground in a natural way and is therefore often used in organic farming for its benefits to soil ecology. And there is a lot of it grown in the Nordics: while being the market leader in vegetable proteins in Finland, we only use less than 1% of the Fava beans grown in our country.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could put it back on people’s plates and do the environment a favour while we’re at it?
