Edamame

Template:Nihongo is an East Asian dish prepared with immature soybeans in their pods, which are boiled or steamed, and may be served with salt or other condiments. The dish has become popular across the world because it is rich in vitamins, dietary fiber, and isoflavones.<ref name="NIH">Template:Cite journal</ref> When the beans are outside the pod, the term mukimame is also sometimes used in Japanese.<ref> Template:Cite journal </ref> Edamame is a common side dish in Japanese cuisine and as an appetizer to alcoholic beverages such as beer or shōchū. As an ingredient, edamame is found in both sweet and savory dishes such as takikomi gohan, tempura, and zunda-mochi.

Name

File:塩振り (38467083232).jpg

Edamame and shōchū

In Japanese, the name edamame is commonly used to refer to the dish. It literally means "stem beans" (枝 eda = "branch" or "stem" + 豆 mame = "bean"), because the beans were often sold while still attached to the stem.

In Chinese, maodou is used commonly to refer to the dish, which literally means "fur peas" (毛 máo = "fur" + 豆 dòu = "bean").

History

Soybeans were first cultivated in China some 7000 years ago, while the earliest documented reference to the term "edamame" dates from the year 1275, when the Japanese monk Nichiren wrote a note thanking a parishioner for the gift of "edamame" he had left at the temple.<ref name="soyinfocenter.com">History of Edamame, Green Vegetable Soybeans, and Vegetable-Type Soybeans (1275–2009).</ref> In 1406, during the Ming dynasty in China, the leaves of the soybeans were eaten and during outbreaks of famine; it was recommended that citizens eat the beans whole or use them ground up and added to flour. Centuries later, in China, in 1620, they are referred to again, but as maodou, which translates to the term "hairy bean". They are found in the records of the Runan vegetable gardens, where they are stated as having a medicinal purpose, as well as being a snack food.Template:Citation needed Edamame appeared in haikai verse in Japanese in the Edo period (1603–1868), with one example as early as 1638.<ref name="kokugo">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

File:Edamame by Augapfel.jpg

A plate of boiled edamame

They were first recognized in the United States in 1855, when a farmer commented on the difficulties he had shelling them after harvest. In March 1923, the immature soybean is first referred to in text in the United States in the book "The Soybean" by C. V. Piper and Joseph W. Morse. In this book, they are first pictured and shown as being eaten out of open shell pods. The first nutritional facts about them are published and some recipes are included, as they were a new type of vegetable to the public.<ref name="soyinfocenter.com"/> The earliest recorded usage in English of the word edamame is in 1951 in the journal Folklore Studies.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

Writing in the New York Times in 1999, food writer Florence Fabricant reported that frozen edamame beans were starting to be sold in supermarkets and speciality food retailers in New York and New Jersey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Edamame appeared as a new term in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003 and in the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

In 2008, the first soybeans grown in Europe were sold in grocery stores as edamame and eaten as an alternative source of protein.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Preparation

Harvesting

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Edamame for sale in Tamba-Sasayama, Japan

Edamame is typically harvested by hand to avoid damaging the crop's stems and leaves.<ref name="SoyResearch">Template:Cite book</ref> Green soybean pods are picked before they fully ripen, typically 35 to 40 days after the crop first flowers.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Soybeans harvested at this stage are sweeter because they contain more sucrose than soybeans picked later in the growing season.<ref name="SoyResearch" /> Other factors contributing to edamame's flavor include free amino acids such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and alanine. Often these unbound amino acids decrease as the pods fully expand and ripen.<ref name="SoyResearch" />

Cooking

File:枝豆 塩 (10857029115).jpg

Boiled edamame with salt

Pods may be boiled in water, steamed, or microwaved. The ends of the pod are sometimes cut before boiling or steaming. The most common preparations use salt for taste, either dissolved in the boiling water before introducing the soybean pods or added after cooking.

Edamame is a popular side dish at Japanese izakaya restaurants with local varieties being in demand, depending on the season.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Salt and garlic are typical condiments for edamame. In Japan, a coarse salt wet with brine is preferred on beans eaten directly from the pod.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Storage

Edamame purchased fresh is preferably eaten the same day, with flavor degradation being noticeable in as few as 10 hours after harvest.<ref name="SoyResearch" /> However, fresh edamame will stay edible for three days when stored in the refrigerator. Damaged pods brown more rapidly however, mainly due to the enzyme polyphenol oxidase.<ref name="SoyResearch" /> If stored fresh, the pods should be kept humid to prevent discoloration and wilting. This can be accomplished by wrapping the pods in plastic or another material which traps moisture.

Freezing fresh edamame is another option for maintaining good quality over a few months.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fresh edamame should be blanched first before being frozen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eating

Edamame can come in two forms: pods or beans. Edamame beans are easy to eat and can be cooked just like any other type of beans. The edamame pods require using the teeth or fingers to slide the edamame beans into the mouth, after which the pods (or shells) are discarded.Template:Citation needed

• Edamame from Asakuma Sushi & Poke.jpg
• Wok-fried edamame by joyosity.jpg
• Lunch at Kaze Sushi.jpg

  With sushi

• Bento Box Israel.jpg

  In a bento

Nutrition

Template:Nutritional value The United States Department of Agriculture states that edamame beans are a "soybean that can be eaten fresh and are best known as a snack with a nutritional punch".<ref>USDA government article about edamame Template:Webarchive.</ref> Frozen, prepared edamame beans are 73% water, 12% protein, 9% carbohydrates, and 5% fat. A 100-gram reference serving of edamame provides Template:Convert of food energy, and rich amounts (20% or more the Daily Value, DV) of protein, dietary fiber, and micronutrients, particularly folate (78% DV), manganese (49% DV), and vitamin K (26% DV) (table). The fat content in edamame supplies 361 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 1794 mg of omega-6 fatty acids.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Allergy

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Edamame is soy and is classed as a major food allergen, and must be clearly identified on all food ingredient labels of pre-packed foods for sale within the UK and EU.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• The Soybean Piper, C. V. (Charles Vancouver)., Morse, W. Joseph. (1923). New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.