Mashed broad bean dip with lemon and garlic

This mashed broad bean dip with lemon and garlic is a traditional side dish enjoyed in the Greek islands; these legumes are strongly associated with less dementia. In the Mediterranean region they are known as favas.

But to make this into a "super-nutrition" dish there are a few provisos.

1. Choose only freshly-harvested firm young pods; you may have to grow them.
2. Don't "double pod" the beans; it is tedious, time-consuming and makes them highly glycaemic.
3. Use the whole lemon pulp and not just the juice; otherwise you lose out on more than half of the special nutrients that make this citrus fruit into a super food.

Slow food, made fast is our motto; don't skin the beans or squeeze the lemon.

Your mashed broad bean dip is a bit like a chickpea hummus but without the tahini. In fact there is no reason not to add some of the sesame seed paste if you want to enrich it further.

• Prevent breast cancer: Sesame Tahini Butter
  

Disclaimer

Enjoy your mashed broad bean dish warm if you are having it as a condiment to go with hot food; chill it first if you plan to enjoy it with a Greek salad.

Notice these broad beans have no "black eye." They are still young and tender; there is no need to skin them.

• Stop compromising fava beans
  

Get the balance right

It's your choice whether to use more or less olive oil; you could even make it with none. Then obviously you must add extra water.

So get the olive oil to water ratio right for the meal your mashed broad bean dip is accompanying. Less greasy alongside a soup might be good but on bread you would want more fat.

You decide whether you want one, three or six cloves of garlic.

Legumes have little flavour of their own; consider adding a little chili or a peppadew. Enjoyed young though these fava beans are sweet like peas.

There are only two strong requirements. Don't skin the beans or they will contribute to insulin-resistance; and do not toss the lemon pulp or you will lose out on more than half of the beta-cryptoxanthin. That's the phytonutrient that will help prevent you losing your marbles.

• What is beta-cryptoxanthin good for?
  

It is scary that 11% of those over 65 enjoying typical grocery store food in America already have the first signs of Alzheimer's Disease^[2].

• Blue zone longevity
  

Blue Zone longevity

Blue Zone longevity is a complex mix of lifestyle factors that enables one in three of these people to be still very active and enjoying zestful lives at ninety. Ten times as many reach a hundred.

In all five Blue Zone countries the people grow and eat broad beans. What gives them the distinct edge over all the other legumes is the L-dopa. It is the only natural source of pharmaceutical amounts of the precursor of the hormone lacking in those with Parkinson's Disease.

It's only been definitely proved in white mice to date but enjoying broad beans regularly actually appears to prevent the disease; it is currently the fastest growing neurodegenerative condition in the world.

What is the best way to eat broad beans? There's no such thing, just don't let them get old and horrid.

Growing broad beans

Broad beans are not difficult to grow but they are tedious. They grow incredibly fast and constantly have to be retied or the huge weight of the fruit snaps off the fronds. You are most unlikely to find them in grocery stores.

• How to sprout, stake and plant broad beans
  

Of tremors and things

On a personal note a deeply worrying tremor started in my right hand when I was in my forties. The neurologist said it could be a harbinger of things to come. Drinking tea or holding a soup spoon became a great trial.

• Of tremors and things
  

Then at a serendipitous lunch I discovered the virtues of broad beans. Firstly how delicious they are when enjoyed young and freshly harvested; and secondly that if I ate 5 twice a day it completely controlled my tremor.

I started to grow them and freeze sufficient broad beans so I could enjoy them year-round. For me they are not just delicious food; they are medicine too.

At 78 coping with the tremor remains no problem provided I eat my mashed broad bean dip with lemon and garlic regularly. Enjoying foods like these neither the good wife in our upper seventies take any chronic medication whatsoever and have few health issues; other than my well-controlled tremor.

Mashed broad bean dip with lemon and garlic

Mashed broad bean dip with lemon and garlic is a rich source of L-dopa, the precursor of the important hormone.

---

Newsletter

Our newsletter is entitled "create a cyan zone" at your home, preserving both yourself and Mother Earth for future generations; and the family too, of course. We promise not to spam you with daily emails promoting various products. You may get an occasional nudge to buy one of my books.

Here are the back issues.

Did you find this page interesting? How about forwarding it to a friendly book or food junkie? Better still, a social media tick would help.

Address:

56 Groenekloof Rd,

Hilton, KZN

South Africa

Website:

https://www.bernard-preston.com

Create a Cyan Zone at your home; one which complements blue areas for longevity with green for protecting Mother Earth.