Fava beans or broad beans are at their best when they are small and tender. Young ones can be eaten pods and all.
In the spring these beans are often exported from various Mediterranean countries to countries whose growing seasons are later.
How to Eat Fava Beans
Fava beans are at their best when they are small and tender, with a bittersweet flavor. When young, they can be cooked and eaten, pods and all, or shelled and eaten raw with cheese, as in Italy. When the beans are older, they are shelled, cooked, and sometimes peeled. Cooked fava beans have a milder flavor than raw. Dried fava beans are popular in the Middle East where they are cooked with spices or added to stews.
