Soya Bean

The most nutritious and versatile of all beans, soya beans have been cultivated in their native China for thousands of years. Soya beans (or soybeans) contain a higher proportion of protein than any other legume, even higher than that of red meat, making them an important part of vegetarian diets and in Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking where little meat is used.

Soya beans are eaten fresh or dried but are also used as a source of oil, milk, curd, pastes, sauces and flavourings. They may also be cracked, sprouted and even roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.