One reason may be that the time-consuming cleaning process is daunting for this nation in a hurry. The lack of enthusiasm for the fava may also be due to the fact that Americans have never developed a taste for bitterness. Here, bitter is bad, sweet is good. In many cuisines the two are considered equally desirable, not negative and positive. And favas often do have a bitter aftertaste, as fresh as grass.
Fava beans are harbingers of spring, although they continue to appear into the summer.
Look for the smallest, crispest, most evenly green pods, with some discoloration to be expected. Because there is considerable waste when you shell and skin favas, buy a good deal more than you would of other beans. You can store the beans for a few days in the refrigerator, spread in a wide dish, but don't plan to keep the perishable vegetable longer than that. Most recipes that you'll see for fava beans apply to the large dried ones, which have little in common with the fresh other than being delicious. The following concerns the in-pod beans only.