Legumes are edible seeds of plants (grasses, shrubs, trees) belonging to the family of Fabaceae, or leguminous, characterized by the presence of a pod (in which the seeds are contained) that opens when they reach maturity.
The most common are: bean, lentil, chickpea, fava, soy, peanut, pea, cicerchia.
Legumes are highly valued in human nutrition for their nutritional characteristics. They provide, in fact, good percentages of carbohydrates, the main energy source of the body, and easily absorbable vegetable proteins. They are also a food rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals and contain iron, potassium and phosphorus.
Legumes are an important group of foods because, although they are of vegetable origin, they contain, among other components, large quantities of proteins, equal (in quantity but not in quality) to those contained in meat.
