Lablab
| Lablab | |
|---|---|
 | |
| fruit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Lablab |
| Species: | L. purpureus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Dolichos lablab L. | |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 209 kJ (50 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 9.2 g |
| Fat | 0.27 g |
| Protein | 2.95 g |
| Thiamine (vit. B1) | 0.056 mg (5%) |
| Riboflavin (vit. B2) | 0.088 mg (7%) |
| Niacin (vit. B3) | 0.48 mg (3%) |
| Folate (vit. B9) | 47 μg (12%) |
| Vitamin C | 5.1 mg (6%) |
| Calcium | 41 mg (4%) |
| Iron | 0.76 mg (6%) |
| Magnesium | 42 mg (12%) |
| Manganese | 0.21 mg (10%) |
| Phosphorus | 49 mg (7%) |
| Potassium | 262 mg (6%) |
| Zinc | 0.38 mg (4%) |
| Link to USDA Database entry Cooked, boiled, drained, without salt Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database | |
Lablab purpureus is a species of bean in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa and it is cultivated throughout the tropics for food.[2] English language common names include hyacinth bean, dolichos bean, seim bean, lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean, Indian bean, and Australian pea.[3] It is the only species in the monotypic genus Lablab.[2][4]
Description
The plant is variable due to extensive breeding in cultivation, but in general, they are annual or short-lived perennial vines. The wild species is perennial. The thick stems can reach six meters in length. The leaves are made up of three pointed leaflets each up to 15 centimeters long. They may be hairy on the undersides. The inflorescence is made up of racemes of many flowers. Some cultivars have white flowers, and others may have purplish or blue.[2] The fruit is a legume pod variable in shape, size, and color. It is usually several centimeters long and bright purple to pale green.[5] It contains up to four seeds. The seeds are white, brown, red, or black depending on the cultivar, sometimes with a white hilum. Wild plants have mottled seeds. The seed is about a centimeter long.[2]
Uses
The hyacinth bean is often grown as forage for livestock[6] and as an ornamental plant.[7] In addition, it is cited both as a medicinal plant and a poisonous plant.[8][9]
The fruit and beans are edible if boiled well with several changes of the water.[9] Otherwise, they are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, glycosides that are converted to hydrogen cyanide when consumed. Signs of poisoning include weakness, vomiting, dyspnea, twitching, stupor, and convulsions.[9]
The leaves are eaten raw or cooked like spinach. The flowers can be eaten raw or steamed. The root can be boiled or baked for food. The seeds are used to make tofu and tempeh.[5]
In Maharashtra, a special spicy curry, known as vaala che birde (वालाचे बीरडे), is often used during fasting festivals during Shravan month.[citation needed] In Karnataka, the hyacinth bean is made into curry (avarekalu saaru)(Kannada: ಅವರೆಕಾಳು ಸಾರು), salad (avarekaalu usli), added to upma (avrekaalu uppittu), and as a flavoring to Akki rotti. Sometimes the outer peel of the seed is taken out and the inner soft part is used for a variety of dishes. This form is called hitakubele avarekalu, which means "pressed (hitaku) hyancinth bean, and a curry is made out of this deskinned beans known as 'Hitikida Avarekaalu Saaru"[citation needed] In Telangana, the bean pods are cut into small pieces and cooked as spicy curry in Pongal festival season, along with bajra bread; it has been a very special delicacy for centuries.[citation needed]
In Huế, Vietnam, hyacinth beans are the main ingredient of the dish chè đậu ván.[citation needed]
In Kenya, the bean is popular among the Kikuyu people. It is thought to encourage lactation and has historically been the main dish for breastfeeding mothers.[citation needed] Beans are boiled and mashed with ripe and/or semiripe bananas, giving the dish a sweet taste.
Common names
Other common names include Tonga bean, papaya bean, poor man bean (Australia), fiwi bean, Kikuyu bean, lubia bean (Africa), Bounavista pea (Trinidad), and butter bean (Caribbean). It is known as gallinita (Mexico), ataque (France), fuji-mame (Japan), gerenge (Ethiopia), helmbohne (Germany), gueshrangaig (Egypt), and louria (Cyprus).[3] In India it is called chapparadavare, chikkadikai (Kannada), avari, mochai (Tamil), anumulu, chikkudu (Telugu), mochakotta (Malayalam), sem, ballar (Hindi), val (Gujarati),[3] ถั่วแปบ (Thai)[10]
Gallery
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Foliage
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Flowers
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Seeds
References
- ↑ Lablab purpureus at Multilingual taxonomic information from the University of Melbourne
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lablab purpureus. Tropical Forages.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lablab purpureus L. (Sweet). University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India.
- ↑ Lablab purpureus, general information. University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dolichos lablab. Floridata.
- ↑ Lablab purpureus. Grassland Species Profiles. Food and Agriculture Organization.
- ↑ Lablab purpureus. Missouri Botanical Garden.
- ↑ Lablab purpureus. Plants for a Future.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Dolichos lablab (Lablab purpureus). Poisonous Plants of North Carolina. North Carolina State University.
- ↑ The 25 Health Benefits of Lablab greenerald health, Thailand
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyacinth bean. |
- Avadhani, R. The Banglalore Beans. Mood Indico 1(2). 2006.
- Lablab purpureus. JSTOR Global Plants.