By Pattaya Pete
The Versatile Soya Bean
It has become increasingly fashionable among trendy westerners
to ‘eat healthy’ particularly with regard to beans and
nuts. Prominent among favoured beans is the versatile soya bean
which is cultivated mainly for its oil and protein content. Soya
has been widely cultivated throughout eastern Asia, particularly
in Japan, Korea and China, for at least 3,000 years. Soya is made,
principally, for human consumption, into a universally popular bean
curd, commonly known as tofu, and soy milk.
Soya is almost indispensable to traditional Chinese cuisine. Indeed,
an enduring culinary favourite among lovers of Chinese food is tofu
stir-fried with bamboo shoots, or other Soy milk produced on an
industrial scale is also extremely popular. It is generally regarded
as being refreshing and nutritious. This writer once saw a Chinese
stevedore in Bangkok’s Chinatown eat a bowl of boiled white
rice into which he had emptied a bottle of soy milk before topping
everything with sprinkled pepper. Eccentric though his culinary
preference was – the restaurateur informed me the stevedore
regularly ate the exotic concoction – it evidently provided
him nourishment and pleasure.
Another form of soy milk constitutes infant formulas for lactose-intolerant
babies, and those allergic to human milk proteins and cow milk proteins.
Vegetarians would be lost without soya beans. Indeed, any form
of vegetarian food, be it European or Asian, lacking soy ingredients
is simply unthinkable. Soya beans comprise Textured Vegetable Protein
(TVP) which is made into a wide variety of vegetarian dishes, including
some that attempt to imitate meat flavours such as chicken and beef.
There is an entire industry intent on popularizing the use of
soya beans in Europe and North America, principally by incorporating
them into non-vegetarian dishes. Industrial food manufacturers promote
them on their websites with a slew of inventive recipes created
by celebrity chefs. Such offerings include Hot Mustard Beans, Potato
Crush with Beans & Peppery Rocket, Sticky Sesame Bean Chicken
and Bean & Herb Risotto with Crispy Bacon.
Soya beans are made to manufacture imitation dairy products, including
soy yoghurt, previously mentioned soy milk, and soy cream cheese.
Soya beans are also used to produce flour, which makes delicious
pancakes, and even candles. The latter gain increasing popularity
since they are very slow to burn.
Oil manufactured from soya beans is customarily marketed as ‘vegetable
oil’.
The product is popular among vegetarians and those who wish to
avoid using animal fats, particularly those of pork origin.
Soya beans also have widespread industrial applications. They are
used in the manufacture of many disparate items, including soap,
cosmetics, resins, plastics, inks and biodiesel.
The health benefits of soya beans have long been debated. Somewhat
extravagant claims include the consumption of soy products reducing
the risk of lung cancer, helping prevent prostate cancer, easing
menopause symptoms and reducing blood pressure.
Not everyone is convinced. Opponents claim soy products increase
the risk of child development retardation and cause serious allergies.
The US watchdog Food & Drug Administration (FDA) permitted
a health claim for soy, namely ’25 grammes of soy protein
a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may
reduce the risk of heart disease’.
That may not be the ringing endorsement that many soy product
enthusiasts had hoped for, but should suffice to allay doubts that
soy opponents might entertain.
Whatever one’s opinions, it is safe to say that soya beans
will retain their universal appeal for at least the next 3,000 years
and probably more.
