From haba de Sevilla to Aquadulce

Broad beans (Vicia faba) are called habas in Spanish. They are widely cultivated in Spain. Culinary uses vary among regions, but they are used as the main pulse in stews (fabada, habas estofadas, michirones) or as an addition to other dishes (menestra, paella). In certain regions they can be eaten while unripe or fried and packaged as a snack.

One of the varieties in Spain that can trace its origin back to the late Middle Ages is the haba de Sevilla, also called the haba de Tarragona. It is a megalosperma (maior), which means that it has larger beans than some of its relatives.

An offspring of the haba de Sevilla is the Aquadulce Claudia. This cultivar was introduced commercially in the middle of the nineteenth century and was illustrated in the seed catelogue of the French company Album Vilmorin in 1871.

The Aquadulce Claudia is a broad bean that is recognised as the best variety for an autumn sowing. This variety will produce hardy young plants, strong enough to withstand the winter frosts and ready to grow away quickly as soon as warmer spring days arrive. The plant will eventually become about a meter tall with pods that can be longer than 15 centimeters. There are usually four or five seeds per pod. The dry seed is flat and somewhat honey-colored.

Individually, the plants are not highly productive, but a large plot of perhaps two hundred plants would amply supply a household.

I'm not sure why one would call a broad bean Aquadulce, which obviously means 'sweet water' in Latin. Maybe some of my readers will hazard an answer.