Bitter vetch

Vicia ervilia

legume

A small ancient legume, eaten in famines after soaking, leaching and cooking; a staple food of the Iron Age in Italy.

Origin

Mediterranean and the Near East

Where to find it

In Greece and Turkey, it is still grown, mostly for livestock; in Spain, as “yeros”, it feeds sheep.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Its seeds contain canavanine: always soaked, leached in water and boiled.

Molecules

ProteinIn small amounts, not counted GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) · Folates (B9) · Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

It is one of the first legumes cultivated in the Fertile Crescent.