Legumes: list, definition & Co

The healthy legumes are a variety of vegetables and are ideal for a plant-based diet. With us you will learn which species belong to the legumes.

Legumes are easy to grow, have a positive effect on the soil and are an integral part of a balanced diet. We present the most important types and go into the nutritional values ​​​​of legumes.

What are legumes?

Legumes are generally the seeds of the papilionaceous plants (Fabaceae). They form a large family in the plant kingdom with over 13,000 known species. With a few exceptions, legumes are vegetables. A butterfly-like flower and the resulting legume, which gives it its name, are typical. The plants often show pinnate, alternate leaves. A climbing, creeping growth occurs as well as upright, bushy or prostrate plants. After pollination of the flower, elongated, sometimes very wide pods develop, inside which the seeds ripen. In contrast, pods, such as those found in the cabbage family (Brassicaceae), have a parchment-like separating layer and thus two chambers in which the seeds mature separately.

Legumes enter into an underground symbiosis with soil bacteria to take up nitrogen. This property can also be used especially for soil improvement. Various legumes are therefore not only planted in the garden, but also in green manures and flower mixtures used. In combination with our Plantura organic soil activator Soil fertility and humus build-up can be sustainably increased, especially on emaciated areas. In addition, the mycorrhiza fungi contained in the soil activator support soil life as a "starter culture".

Examples and list of legumes

The family of the papilionaceous plants includes an unbelievable variety of the most different Crops, from trees and shrubs to short-lived herbaceous plants and miscellaneous Vegetables. Many species are native to the tropics and subtropics, where they grow into gigantic giant trees or form delicate stalks and leaves on dwarf plants such as the mimosa (Mimosa pudica).

In the following, however, we will deal with edible legumes that can also be grown in your own garden.

Legumes for growing in the garden:

• broad bean (Vicia faba)
• fenugreek (Trigonella foenum–graecum)
• Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
• pea (Pisum sativum)
• earth pear (Apios americana)
• peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
• chick-pea (Cicer arietinum)
• lens (Lens culinaris)
• lupine (lupinus)
• mung bean (Vigna radiata)
• Schabzigerklee (Trigonella caerulea)
• Soybean (Glycine max)

How healthy are legumes?

Compared to other types of vegetables, the edible legumes and their seeds contain high amounts of protein, usually between 20 - 40% of the dry matter. Legumes and their proteins play an important role in vegan nutrition in particular, as they serve as a substitute for animal protein. However, compared to animal protein, the digestibility of the seeds is lower and additional Substances in legumes, the so-called phytins, which increase the absorption of iron and zinc in the intestine inhibit. Legumes contain around 15-40% carbohydrates, with chickpeas and lentils having significantly higher levels than fresh peas or beans. Soybean and peanut, on the other hand, have large amounts of fats that can be processed into oil. On average, legumes consist of 10 - 20% fiber and thus support the intestinal function. In addition, legumes are a good source of minerals because they contain larger amounts of calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Also noteworthy are the high levels of folic acid, provitamin A and B vitamins in legumes. Fenugreek and Fenugreek are also used as a bread spice due to the tangy taste of the seeds.

In most cases, only the mature, dried seeds of the legume are consumed. With some species, however, the still green pods themselves and sometimes also the leaves of the plant can be harvested as vegetables. Some legumes such as beans and soy produce toxic alkaloids. These substances make the green, raw pods completely inedible and can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting, nausea, dizziness and cramps. Although raw green beans contain only small amounts of alkaloids, they should always be boiled, blanched or steamed before consumption, as the heat neutralizes the dangerous substances. Peas, on the other hand, can also be eaten raw without restrictions. In the case of lentils and chickpeas, only the dry seeds without the pod are eaten.

Peas, lentils and Co. are also among the so-called super foods counted. Find out what this trend is all about with us.