From mushy peas to chana dal and falafel, beans are returning to our plate through specialized farms, festivals and British-grown produce

Last modified on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at 11.03 EDT

Radical politics, psychedelic drugs, experimental sexual behavior: In the 1970s, when nervous parents sent their children to college, there were many dangers that plagued them. But Jenny Chandler was warned of a different threat: "My father gave me a lecture on sanity, don’t get drunk at parties, never eat red kidney beans, because there was something about the toxins you had to simmer. All things [sheng] Red Kidney Beans. As a student, I am afraid of them."

Chandler is now a teacher and writer, author of the recipe Pulse, and a European ambassador during the UN Pulse Campaign in 2016. He has overcome this fear. However, legumes (dried legume seeds, including lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peas) still have serious image problems. The UK is keen on hummus and baked beans, but outside the food circle, cooking with beans—especially dry beans that require pre-soaking—is generally considered too troublesome because the food is often portrayed as a kind of The right confession is not a source of happiness. The slender masters of clean eating give many humble healthy foods a modern luster, but from the perspective of popular culture, the most famous representative of lentils is still Neil of The Young Ones.

However, despite this, the pulse of Britain is quietly rising. I met Chandler at the British Beans Festival in Bristol, a new event funded by the British Edible Beans Association (Bepa) in March. A patchwork of a week of community events, from planting lentils in Millennium Plaza to dal cooking at the closing ceremony of the Grand Dal Finale (with nearly 1,000 people attending), it tried to celebrate all legume stews, from mushy peas To chana dal.

Fresh from elementary school dal cooking classes and lunch at the Bristol Farmers Market (where the Thali Cafe gave away more than 200 dals), Chandler is full of good news about beans-whether dried or canned. "They are very economical and versatile chameleons because they can present any Italian, Spanish, Mexican or Indian flavor you want, and they are very delicious," she said. "They are also very nutritious, rich in protein and fiber. If you are concerned about weight gain or elevated blood sugar levels, it is easy because you have this complex carbohydrate that slows the release of energy. They keep you full for hours, It makes you feel satisfied rather than sluggish."

In the entire town of Bristol's staunchly independent Stokescroft enclave, the ecologically focused Poco Tapas takes full advantage of the pulse's potential. In particular, it was an early adopter of British-grown beans distributed by Hodmedod, the pioneer of Suffolk. Poco is a bustling, unpainted bar-restaurant that uses Hodmedod's broad beans to make silky hummus and crisp, airy falafels, just like the Egyptians do. It also uses earthy Kalin peas (also known as Lancashire black peas) to make a plate of merguez sausage and labneh, and Hodmedod's yellow peas-larger than lentils, but with the same creamy, melted quality-in it In the dal.

"People ignore beans because we have been eating canned processed beans since we were young, or the sad, stale [dry beans] that have been kept in the cupboard for many years," said Ben Pryor, co-owner of Poco . "But when they are fresh and of high quality, peas or carlin peas can be a special part of a meal. They are the most amazing color, shape and texture."

As the little cousin of common broad beans, broad beans have been grown here since the Iron Age. However, its fate in modern Britain (the best beans are exported to Egypt, most of which are sold as animal feed) summarizes the fading situation of British beans. The core farmers take advantage of the nitrogen-fixing properties of beans and use them as natural fertilizers for crop rotation, while the small circle prides itself on growing traditional British varieties, such as the bone marrow fat peas used in peas. But pulses are only grown on 4% of the arable land in the UK (grains account for more than 50%), and many farmers only grow pulses sporadically when prices are rising. At present, we export several tons of broad beans, and the imported lentils, chickpeas, lentils and other more popular legumes are three times the import volume.

Sitting in Poco, just coming out of the stall at Hodmedod’s dal festival, Nick Saltmarsh, one of its co-founders, explained: “Around the world, as societies become more affluent, beans are Diversion is the food of the poor, and those who can afford meat. In the UK, starting from the Black Death, we eat more meat and dairy products and no longer rely on beans as the main source of protein. They are outdated. "

However, the rising cost and ecological impact of meat eating, as well as food security concerns, may help beans make a comeback. The hundreds of tons of British beans that Hodmedod distributes each year come from a network of small dedicated farms, accounting for only a small part of the total British production, estimated at 730,000 tons, and Hodmedod’s weird projects, such as the first commercial harvest of British lentils last year, are currently totem. But its rapid growth shows that you can have an appetite for British beans, even the overlooked and mysterious broad beans, which has been noticed by large legume players.

Hodmedod was initially inspired by a research project focusing on the future of sustainable food in East Anglia and found that its plan to retail broad beans was mocked by legume processors. "They thought it was ridiculous," Saltmarsh said. Five years later, Hodmedod was regarded as a pioneer. "Before [Hodmedod] existed, the only [broad bean] market in the UK was for cattle or fish feed," said Franek Smith, Bepa president. "Hodmedod is developing a new and more profitable human consumption market for farmers and processing companies."

In the long term, Hodmedod hopes to see a transformative change in British agricultural policy, from a huge monoculture grain farm that relies on artificial fertilizers to a more diverse agricultural culture, which includes growing a variety of low-intensity beans for British consumers. It It is believed that this will be very beneficial to ecology and public health.

There is a precedent for this change. In the past 30 years, Canada has fundamentally increased its bean production. It is now the world's largest exporter of peas and lentils. However, as outlined in a recent report by the Processors and Growers Research Organization, a similar British revolution required major government intervention, from funding for seed research to purchasing instructions for schools and hospitals. Smith said that Beppa met with MPs in Westminster in 2016, and Bristol East Member (and vegetarian) Kerry McCarthy has proposed Beppa to Minister Liam Fox and Michael Gove. Case. But getting the cabinet interested in beans is very difficult. “We started making waves, which is good, but until the past 6 to 12 months, we have no influence at the government level at all,” he said.

For its part, Hodmedod promotes British legumes to restaurants such as River Cottage, Mark Hix and Honey & Co by introducing products to deli and farm shops, and embraces convenience through canned broad beans, canned lentils and canned Carlin, and continues Spread the seeds to peas outside the Whole Foods store. It even produces its own baked beans and salted beans, which Saltmarsh thinks might be a big growth area: bean snacks (he named after Yushoi's baked pea chips and Pepsi's Off the Eaten Path brand). "The increase in interest in pulses is shocking," he said.

Hodmedod's 99p-a-tin pulse is not the cheapest. “We can’t compete with imported chickpeas for 30 pence. Saltmarsh admits that on our scale, it’s hardly the cost of canned food, but on the contrary, the wider popularity of high-quality beans—per gram is still better than most meats. And other proteins are cheap-may actively improve the image of broad beans and peas. "Beans are slandered because of this very cheap thing. You have to eliminate its lack and make people realize how delicious legume dishes are," Chandler said.

But what about another big problem? Not price or convenience, but flatulence? Is the pulse always accompanied by headwinds that suppress its popularity? Chandler thinks this question is exaggerated: "For my book, my family has a severe eating pulse for 18 months. It sounds strange. I think that as you get used to them, you will become more forgiving. There is also less turmoil."

If this is not possible, you can add some ingredients, such as cumin or seaweed, which are thought to break down the oligosaccharides that cause these explosive sequelae. If you are keen to explore the world of beans other than beans, please keep this in mind. Your family and friends will be grateful forever.