The soybean, aka soya bean, is a species of legume that has been used as a food and in medicine for in China nearly 5000 years.Over time its use slowly spread to many Asian countries. According to the CIA World Fact Book website, soybeans are grown as a major crop in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Croatia, Italy, North Korea, Libya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Thailand. Since the soy bean is classed as an oilseed rather than a pulse, there is no direct reference to the fact in this reference that soya beans are also grown in the USA, China and India. But it is noteworthy that about half of all soy beans are produced in the USA.

Soybeans are an excellent source of protein that can be eaten in their own right. Additionally, soya beans are used in many processed foods because of their relatively high levels of soy protein. Making soy milk, tofu and soya based yogurts is done commercially in ever increasing quantities but can also easily be made at home using automatic Soy Milk Makers that grind the soya beans and control the processing temperature.

How soya beans are grown can be a concern for some. Given that about 85% of all soy beans grown in the USA are GMO varieties that means that at least 50% of world soybean production use GMO varieties. The USA is not the only country using GMO soy beans. So if you choose to consume non GMO and certified organic soy beans you need to be sure that you can trust your source of soya beans.

To get an indication of the composition of raw mature soybean seeds, a search at the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21 (2008) produced the following result per 100 grams: water 8.54g; protein 36.49g; fat 19.94g; ash 4.87g; carbohydrate 30.16g (dietary fiber 9.3g; sugars 7.33g). Soya beans also contain a long list of essential minerals, vitamins and no cholesterol. No wonder soybeans have been referred to as a nutrient powerhouse.