Martock: a medieval fava bean

Martock is the name of a cultivar of the fava bean (Vicia faba). This variety takes its name from the village of Martock in Somerset. The deep clay loam soil common in this area grows heavy crops of beans. Now a sleepy market town, the bean once helped to make Martock a prosperous place.

Martock is probably the last of the truly local varieties of broad beans. It dates from the medieval period and was grown extensively in England in the Middle Ages. The Martock was first mentioned in parish records as early as the 12th century, but it is thought to be the same variety used in the Roman voting system, a brown or black Martock bean being used to cast a 'No' vote and a white bean for a 'Yes'. Beans turn almost black after several years of storage. In medieval times Martock beans were usually dried and then subsequently used in soups, stews and gruels.

It was rediscovered in the kitchen garden of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, probably not much changed from the small-seeded beans that were the mainstay of a medieval meal. Robust, with small pods, a real survivor with a meaty taste that was welcome on fast days. It is a primitive or antique variety usually associated with traditional agriculture, the result of generations of farmers retaining the best beans for the following year's seed, resulting in a crop often highly adapted to local conditions. In an average season a single Martock bean plant can produce over a hundred beans.

The plants are strong with pink and mauve flowers, which develop into numerous clusters of finger-sized pods each containing three or four smallish beans about the size of a large pea but with the appearance of a small modern broad bean. Unusually, the pods grow upwards rather than hanging downwards like the modern broad beans. The beans are very tender when cooked, somewhat smaller and less starchy than the usual beans, with a sweet, meaty taste.