Gosh, I have been eating fava beans and all kinds of beans for many years
both fresh and dry with no ill effects. I never knew about the toxins.
Thanks!

f.j.

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
> fudge wrote:
>
>> The older the beans, the longer it takes to soften them up for cooking. I
>> have never heard of any type of dried beans commonly used for human
>> consumption containing any poisons. Soaking to get rid of poisons sounds
>> like an old wives tale. Perhaps you should get a new girlfriend, this one
>> seems to be full of faecal mater.
>
> Actually, lima and other beans contain toxins and other things that can be
> harmful (hemaglutinins, trypsin inhibitors, etc., q.v.), and fava beans
> can trigger "favism" (G6PD enzyme deficiency) in some people. Research
> time...
>
> Soaking is one way to minimize toxins.
>
> And, as today's little know fact: Cicero, Roman heavyweight politician,
> orator, statesman and stuff, has a name that means garbanzo bean. Well, it
> really means chick pea from the Latin "cicer," but garbanzo sounds so much
> cooler.
>
> Pastorio