Do fava beans bring death and destruction?

The fava bean or broad bean is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, a longtime staple in Asia, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Throughout history people have eaten favas — and feared them. Ancient cultures believed the bean possessed a supernatural force that could be beneficial or harmful. Classical literature associated them with death.

One of the most famous fava critics in history was the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. In the 6th century BC, Pythagoras hated the beans so much that he forbade his followers from eating them. Whether he believed the beans were toxic, erotic, flatulence-inducing or simply dirty because they were used to cast votes, he avoided them at all costs. According to legend, he was killed in an ambush when he refused to run into a fava field to flee attackers.

Scholars debate whether Pythagoras had a genetic enzyme deficiency (favism otherwise known as glucose-6-fosfaatdehydrogenase-deficienty, shortened to G6PD deficiency) that can cause a reaction after taking certain medications or eating fava beans. This disorder, which in some cases can cause illness or death, is believed to affect some 400 million people worldwide, mostly men.

Despite the potential ills, the bean’s popularity seems to have risen in the Middle Ages, when it is said famine-stricken Sicilians prayed to Saint Joseph for food and rain and were able to survive in part because of hearty, resilient fava beans. Ever since, it has been considered a lucky bean, especially among Italians and Italian descendants, some of whom continue the traditional practice of placing favas on altars on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19.

[Galette de rois]

The 'king's cake' associated with Mardi Gras and the Christian celebration of Epiphany on Januari 6th is sometimes made with a fava bean or small figurine hidden inside. According to tradition, whoever finds the object inside the cake (called a galette des rois in France, roscón de reyes in Spain and rosca de reyes in Latin America) could be ruler for the day.