legume

Legumes

Legumes

Legumes are the edible seeds of plants. They provide a good source of protein , thiamine, folic acid, vitamin E, and fiber . The insoluble fiber in legumes helps to lower blood cholesterol . Examples of legumes are: dried beans, peas, and seeds (including navy, broad, butter, northern, pinto, red, and black beans, as well as chick peas, soybeans, and peanuts).

Legumes are an important source of protein for vegetarians, especially vegans . The protein in legumes is considered incomplete, however, and needs to be eaten in combination with whole grains to make a complete (high-quality) protein (e.g., green beans, lentils, and rice; navy beans and barley; soybeans and sesame seeds; red beans and rice). Such combinations have been used for centuries in the diets of people practicing vegetarianism.

see also Plant-Based Diets; Soy; Vegetarianism.

Simin B. Vaghefi

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

Vaghefi, Simin B.. "Legumes." Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Vaghefi, Simin B.. "Legumes." Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3436200169.html

Vaghefi, Simin B.. "Legumes." Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3436200169.html

Learn more about citation styles

legume

legume , common name for any plant of the family Leguminosae, which is called also the pulse , legume, pea, or bean family. The word is often used loosely in the plural for vegetables in general. Botanically, a legume is the characteristic fruit of the pulse family plants, called also leguminous plants. It is a pod which usually splits along two sides, with the seeds attached along one of the sutures. The family Leguminosae is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Rosales.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"legume." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"legume." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-legume.html

"legume." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-legume.html

Learn more about citation styles

legumes

legumes Members of the family Leguminosae consumed as dry mature seeds (grain legumes or pulses) or as immature green seeds in the pod. On boiling, the dried seeds double in weight, so a 100‐g cooked portion is approximately 50 g as a dried product.

Legumes include the groundnut, Arachis hypogaea, and soya bean, Glycine max, grown for their oil and protein, the yam bean Pachyrrhizus erosus, and African yam bean Sphenostylis stenocarpa, grown for their edible tubers as well as seeds. See also beans.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

DAVID A. BENDER. "legumes." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "legumes." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-legumes.html

DAVID A. BENDER. "legumes." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-legumes.html

Learn more about citation styles

legume

leg·ume / ˈlegˌyoōm; ləˈgyoōm/ • n. a leguminous plant, esp. one grown as a crop. ∎  a seed, pod, or other edible part of a leguminous plant used as food. ∎ Bot. the long seedpod of a leguminous plant. ORIGIN: mid 17th cent. (denoting the edible portion of the plant): from French légume, from Latin legumen, from legere ‘to pick’ (because the fruit may be picked by hand).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"legume." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"legume." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-legume.html

"legume." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-legume.html

Learn more about citation styles

legume

legume Member of the pea family of flowering plants, including many trees, shrubs, vines and herbs whose roots bear nodules that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The fruit is typically a pod (legume) containing a row of seeds. Important food species include the pea, runner bean, soya bean, lentil, broad bean, kidney bean, and haricot bean. See also nitrogen cycle; nitrogen fixation; root nodule

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"legume." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"legume." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-legume.html

"legume." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-legume.html

Learn more about citation styles

legume

legume (pod) A dry fruit formed from a single carpel and containing one or more seeds, which are shed when mature. It is the characteristic fruit of the Leguminosae (Fabaceae; pea family). It splits, often explosively, along both sides and the two halves of the fruit move apart to expose the seeds. A special form of the legume is the lomentum.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"legume." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"legume." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-legume.html

"legume." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-legume.html

Learn more about citation styles

legume

legumeabloom, assume, backroom, bloom, Blum, boom, broom, brume, combe, consume, doom, entomb, exhume, flume, foredoom, fume, gloom, groom, Hume, illume, inhume, Khartoum, khoum, loom, neume, perfume, plume, presume, resume, rheum, room, spume, subsume, tomb, vroom, whom, womb, zoom •catacomb • heirloom • broadloom •taproom • guardroom • staffroom •darkroom • classroom • bathroom •bedroom, headroom •legroom • restroom •dayroom, playroom •saleroom • stateroom • salesroom •tearoom • green room • sickroom •anteroom • bridegroom • stockroom •strongroom • box room • washroom •storeroom • boardroom • ballroom •courtroom • houseroom • showroom •cloakroom • elbow room •poolroom, schoolroom •newsroom •gunroom, sunroom •mushroom • common room •workroom • hecatomb • vacuum •legume • volume • costume •Leverhulme

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"legume." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"legume." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-legume.html

"legume." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-legume.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Loving legumes for all the right reasons: health, flavor and value.
Magazine article from: Environmental Nutrition; 4/1/2010
Cooking grains & legumes. (includes recipe) (excerpts from The New...
Magazine article from: Restaurants &amp; Institutions; 1/23/1991
Landmark research in legumes.
Magazine article from: Genome; 6/1/2007

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of legume