They are the seeds of plants belonging to the family Leguminosae, which gets its name from the characteristic pod or legume that protects the seeds while they are forming and ripening. With approximately 13,000 species, the family Leguminosae is the second largest in the plant kingdom and it is very important economically.

Different kinds of legumes provide us with food, medicines, oils, chemicals, timber, dyes and ornamental garden plants. Legume products include carob, senna, gum arabic, balsam, indigo and licorice. Pulses are valuable because they contain a higher percentage of protein than most other plant foods.

Pulses have been used as food for thousands of years. The lentil was probably one of the first plants ever to be domesticated by humans. Most pulses prefer warm climates but there are varieties which grow in temperate regions. They can be eaten fresh or dried and come in a great number of varieties with a range of colours, flavours, and textures. In spite of its common name, the peanut or groundnut is also a legume rather than a nut.

Red Kidney Beans - Good for blood sugar balance

These beans are wonderfully versatile, they pick up flavours well and are easier to digest when cooked with aromatic herbs such as garlic, thyme and bay leaves. They contain a substance that can upset the stomach, so it’s important to boil them vigorously for 15 minutes to render them harmless. Kidney beans provide useful amounts of iron, magnesium and folic acid.

Haricot Beans - Good for Calcium

These beans are best known to us as baked beans. With their soft, waxy texture and subtle flavour they go well with tomatoes and spicy sauces. They’re a great source of iron, folic acid and in particular calcium, providing around 65mg per 100g serving.

Mung Beans - Good for weight-watchers

These are most recognisable to us when they’re germinated into sprouts and served in Chinese food. The whole or split seeds are used to make dhal and curries, while their ground flour is turned into noodles, breads and biscuits. They are an ideal food for weigh-watchers as they provide only 31 calories per 100g serving and are extremely nutritious. Mung beans are rich in vitamins C & B, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese.

Chickpeas - Good for Zinc

Chickpeas differ from other beans, in that they are spherical and look a little like blanched hazelnuts. They are native to the Middle East but are popular in India, North Africa, Spain, Portugal and southern France. They are rich in vitamin C, B6 (pyridoxine), zinc and folic acid.

Lentils - Good for fibre

Lentils are thought to have originated in Syria. The colour of them gives an indication of cooking time - brown (more dried) require longer cooking than green (less dried), with red lentils requiring the least cooking of all. They are easily digestible, help to regulate bowel function and are high in fibre, providing 15.6g per 200g serving.

A hassle free alternative to the hours of soaking required to make dried pulses safe, edible and easy to digest, canned pulses such as kidney beans, chickpeas, butter beans, baked beans, borlotti beans, flageolet beans and peas can be combined to create some tasty summer treats.

White Bean Bruschetta

Serves 4

Nutritional information per serving: 307 calories, 46g carbohydrate, 11g protein, 9g fat (1g saturated fat), 9g fibre,

Ingredients

1 x 420g can butter beans, drained

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 x 50g can red peppers, drained and chopped

1 x 25g can black olives, drained and chopped

4 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp of sunblush tomato paste

25g sunblush tomatoes

Ciabatta bread

Ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. Mash the butter beans roughly with the garlic and add enough of the oil to make a paste.

1. Stir in the lemon juice, red peppers, tomato paste, sunblush tomatoes, black olives and black pepper.

1. Slice the ciabatta bread and toast under the grill.

1. Drizzle with any remaining oil and serve topped with the butter bean mixture.

References

Wikipedia

The Vegetarian Society

Canned Food UK

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