Haba porcuna (Vicia faba) semillas

The Horse Bean is a small-seeded and crucially older form of the "Bell Bean" that, today, is only significant anymore as a vegetable plant regionally, for example in the Westphalian region. As early as 5000 BC, it has already been cultivated in the Mediterranean region. It presumably had its peak in Europe in the Middle Ages. Until the 16th century, it had been an enormously important staple food but was then superseded by the tropical garden beans imported from the New World.

Like its innumerable names, including broad bean, fava bean, or field bean, it has, henceforth, mainly been cultivated as greenstuff. However, it's a good vegetable with a sweet taste. On top, it doesn't need any climbing aid but simply grows into the height like a bush bean. Another advantage is that it's, contrary to most garden beans, very cold-tolerant and can already be sown from the end of February.