Omaha daily bee., 1917-03-16
Drive at Boston's Pride

Is the proud Boston baked bean to be hum
bled! Must the modest dried pea weep? Is the
navy bean to fall from its high place of honor?
These narrowing questions are suggested by the
evident intention of the Department of Agricul-
ture to boost the soy bean above its neighbors
and rivals as about the most nutritious article now
before the American people at a reasonable price.
Soy beans particularly threaten the social position
of the Boston baked bean, for they contain fat and
no starch, and the bean barons Of the department
say that for these reasons they will remain sep
arate when baked, whereas, every educated per-
son knows that half the joy in mess of heav-
enly baked beans is having them squash up to-
gether, especially if they leftovers from Sat-
urday night and are fried for the Sunday morning
breakfast.
But to get away from expert testimony and
back to the Department of Agriculture. Soy
beans never have been used in this country for
human food to any great extent. Considering
their high nutrtive value this is unfortunate says
the Department.. Many varieties of them are
grown The mammoth yellow variety is now on
the market under the name Togo bean" at IS
cents quart, or about cents pound. In many
parts of the country they can be obtained from
growers for from $2.25 to $3.50 bushe go
pounds). This amounts to less than cents a
pound.
The soy bean belongs to the class of food
usually known as legumes. This class includes
also navy beans, peas, cowpeas, lentils, peanuts
and others. All of the legumes are very rich i'll
protein, an important bodybuilding material. The
soy bean has more protein than any OF the others.
In composition it resembles the peanut more than
the others because it contains large amount Of
fat. In other words, it is fatty legume rather
than starchy legume. This fact should be kept
in mind in cooking it.
When soy beans sell for Is cents quart, 10
cents worth will supply over FIVE ounces of pro-
tein When beef of average composition, sells
for 20 cents a pound 10 cents worth will supply
a little over an ounce OF protein. The protein Of
beef is, to be sure, better utilized by the body
than the protein of the legumes, but even after
allowance has been made for this fact the soy
bean is at present prices very economical source
Of protein.
Like all OF the other legumes, soy beans are
probably more thoroughly utilized by the body
If their skins are removed. Fortunately this
can be very easily done. When they are to be
used for soup they can be put through strainer,
which removes the skins. When they are to be
baked the skins can be removed in the following
way: After the raw beans are washed, cover
them with boiling water, bring to the boiling
point and cook for not more than ten minutes.
Allow them to cool and stand in the water in
which they have boiled over night or for an
equal length Of time by day. The skins can now
be easily removed by rubbing the beans between
the hands. Since the water in which they are
also rather fatty, the best way to do this is as
follows: Pour off the water in which they have
been soaked and save it, pour clear cold water
over the beans and as the skins come off allow
them to float away from the beans, renewing the
water as needed. When. the skins have been re-
moved pour over the beans the water in which
they were soaked and begin the cooking.
Soy beans can be used very much as the or
binary navy beans are used and for this reason
recipes are hardly necessary. The chief point to
be remembered is that they contain fat, while
the navy beans do not and that they contain no
starch. Because of this fact and the large amount
Of fat, they remain separate when baked and for
this reason baked soy beans differ in appearance
from ordinary baked beans. The soy bean con-
tains 80 per cent protein, l8 per cent fat and 2
per cent carbohydrates as against "a per cent
protein, ! per cent fat and 62 per cent carbo-
hydrates in dried peas and 22.5 per cent protein
l.s per cent fat and e. per cent carbohydrates
in navy beans.