The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Soybean
Beans for sale at a supermarket in China
Bhatmaas – Nepali fried soybeans
Graded seed
Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption; for livestock forage and silage; and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, grass peas, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.
A selection of dried pulses and fresh legumes
Pulses for sale in a Darjeeling market
Pulses in a Nanglo tray
Freshly dug peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), indehiscent legume fruits