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. English languagecommon names include hyacinth bean, lablab-beanbonavist bean/pea, dolichos bean, seim bean, lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean, Indian bean, bataw and Australian pea. It is the only species in the monotypic genusLablab.
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. The fruit is a legume pod variable in shape, size, and color. It is usually several centimeters long and bright purple to pale green. 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.
Common names
Other common names include Tonga bean, papaya bean, poor man bean, Seim, and butter bean.
Subspecific classification
According to the British biologist and taxonomist Bernard Verdcourt,
Uses
The hyacinth bean is an old domesticated pulse and multi-purpose crop. L. purpureus has been cultivated in India as early as 2500 BC. Due to seed availability of one forage cultivar, it is often grown as forage for livestock and as an ornamental plant. In addition, it is cited both as a medicinal plant and a poisonous plant. The fruit and beans are edible if boiled well with several changes of the water. 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. It has been shown that there is a wide range of cyanogenic potential among the varieties. 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. In India its called ′Surti Papdi′. In Bangladesh and West Bengal, the green pods along with the beans, known as Sheem, are cooked as vegetables or cooked with fish as a curry. In China, the seeds are known as Bai Bian Dou. They are usually dried and baked before being used in traditional Chineseherbal remedies to strengthen spleen, reduce heat and dampness, and promote appetite. In Kerala, it is known as Amarakka, Avara or Amara Payar. The beans as well as the bean pods are used in cooking curries. The bean pods are also used for preparing stir-fried dish known as Thoran. In Tamil Nadu, it is called Avarai or Avaraikkaay. The entire bean is used in cooking dry curries and in sauces/gravies such as sambar. The seed alone is referred is used in many recipes and is referred to as mochai. In Maharashtra, dry preparations with green masala is often made out of these green beans mostly found at the end of monsoon during fasting festivals of Shravan month. In Karnataka, the hyacinth bean is made into curry, salad, added to upma, 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 hyancinth bean," and a curry known as Hitikida Avarekaalu Saaru is made out of the deskinned beans. In Telangana and Andra Pradesh, the bean pods are cut into small pieces and cooked as spicy curry in Pongal festival season. Sometimes the outer peel of the seed when tender and soaked over night is taken out and the inner soft part is used for a variety of dishes. This form is called pitakapappu,hanupa/anapa, which means "pressed hyancinth bean, and a curry known as Pitikida Anapaginjala Chaaru is made out of this deskinned beans along with bajra bread; it has been a very special delicacy for centuries. In Huế, Vietnam, hyacinth beans are the main ingredient of the dish chè đậu ván. In Kenya, the bean called 'Njahe' is popular among several communities, especially the Kikuyu. Seasons were actually based on it i.e. the Season of Njahe. It is thought to encourage lactation and has historically been the main dish for breastfeeding mothers. Beans are boiled and mashed with ripe and/or semi-ripe bananas, giving the dish a sweet taste. Today the production is in decline in eastern Africa. This is partly attributed to the fact that under colonial rule in Kenya, farmers were forced to give up their local bean in order to produce common beans for export. A Taiwanese research found a carbohydrate-binding protein from the edible Lablab beans effectively blocks the infections of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2
