[Sca-cooks] Re: fava beans

[Christiane]

The other difficulty would be that they are only very rarely
available. But while they were fresh - I would think they would have
eaten them. Has anyone ever played with them? I was wondering if I
could buy a bunch of them while they are here, blanch them and then
freeze them - just like the edamame that I get in the store? Any
thoughts on how this would work - and how long they would be good for?

Sorry for the lengthy babble on beans.

Glad Tidings,

--Serena da Riva

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Serena,

Fava beans have a long history in Italian cooking. There's a reason why they are eaten cooked, not fresh — a disease called favism; here's a technical definition of what is is:

http://www.g6pd.org/favism/english/index.mv?pgid=intro

Because the disease is a genetic one, those who eat the fresh, raw beans don't know until they get sick. This is why Pythagoras told his students, "Avoid fava beans." Cooking the hell out of them seems to lessen the danger, although those with the genetic disorder would be better off avoiding the beans all together.

Gianotta