What Are Edamame Beans and Why You Should Try Them At Least Once

Podded edamame beans are very similar to everyone’s favorite sugar snap peas, but very large. Additionally, milky peas are eaten with the pod; edamame must be cleaned. And they also taste different – in edamame beans there is a barely noticeable bitterness.

Edamame (the word is translated from Japanese as “beans in a pod”) is nothing more than a young soybean! It has been used in Eastern and Asian cuisines for a very long time, but Europeans got acquainted with this product relatively recently.

In Russia, you can mainly buy frozen peeled edamame. They are subjected to deep freezing, so that the product retains all its useful qualities. Typical shelf life, assuming freezer storage, is about six months.

Edamame that is about to expire or has been thawed and refrozen will lose its beautiful color. life tip: there is a window on the packages so that when you buy you can check what the frozen beans look like.

Fresh beans, including pods, can be sold in high-end grocery chains, but they will be quite expensive and have a short shelf life.

They are very easy to prepare (2-3 minutes of blanching is enough, and frozen edamame beans can be eaten and added to dishes) and go well with absolutely everything – cereals, vegetables, fish and meat. They have a very characteristic delicate taste and a pleasant elastic texture, and they are good both hot and cold.

But the main reason edamame is so popular with nutritionists and healthy-eating enthusiasts is its composition. 100 grams of beans contain 11 grams of protein with a high quality composition of essential amino acids.

Edamame also contains calcium, iron, vitamin C and plant isoflavones, known for their ability to regulate hormonal balance. Thus, soy is a real boon not only for vegetarians and fasting people, but also for all those who wish to diversify their diet and protein sources.

Read also: How much protein should a meal contain

If you are allergic and react to products containing soy, you will unfortunately have to stop eating edamame beans.

It is also worth consulting your doctor if you suffer from hypothyroidism or other thyroid disorders, as the isoflavones contained in the product are very biologically active. Most likely, the doctor will recommend what time of day it is better to eat edamame so that there is no conflict with medication.

We have already mentioned that you can prepare them in minutes and then eat them as an appetizer or add them to salads, stews, sides. Beans can also be fried, seasoned with fragrant oil, sesame seeds can be added. And the easiest and most effective way to bring out the flavor of soybeans is to boil them and blanch them, dry them and season them with salt and chili flakes.