Legumes - The Manual of Seed Saving - page 147

Early-ripening varieties of soybeans can be harvested in late summer.
CULTIVATION HISTORY The soybean comes from the wild Glycine soja , which is found along the
Amur and Ussuri rivers in Russia as well as in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China. The soybean itself is
known only in its cultivated form. The oldest documentation of the soybean comes from northeast Ch-
ina and dates back to the 11th century BC . Soybeans are a traditional source of protein in south and
southeast Asia. Around 1740, they were introduced into European botanical gardens; and a century
later, the first attempts at growing soybeans agriculturally were made in France, Austria-Hungary, up-
per Italy (especially in Istria and South Tyrol), the Ukraine, and Germany. The introduction of cold-
tolerant varieties has made growing soybeans possible in the temperate climes of Europe and North
America, with large-scale soy cultivation in North America dating back to 1924. Currently soy is being
grown only on a relatively small scale in central Europe; it is mostly imported from the USA and
Brazil.
CHICKPEA, GARBANZO
Cicer arietinum
There are but few chickpea varieties that fully ripen in central Europe's zone 6 climate, as the chickpea
needs lots of heat. In many warm-temperate and subtropical countries, the chickpea is among the most
important legumes. Monika Sahling, who lives in Tuscany and has for years grown heirloom chick-
peas, also grows (and, through Arche Noah's yearbook, offers) a local Tuscan variety. She tells us that
chickpeas were commonly grown throughout her province until very recently, when they acquired the
reputation of being “poor people's food.”
Seeds are eaten either cooked or pureed to make a spread (the most well-known being that tradition-
al Arabian spread, hummus). Young pods and leaves are also edible. Chickpeas can also be used as
sprouts.