Fig. 6From: Symbolic meaning and use of broad beans in traditional foods of the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle EastFresh and dry broad beans. a Pods (a) and seeds (b) of broad bean to be consumed fresh, as vegetable, during the season. b Packages of frozen broad beans, easily available in Southern European retailers, less common in other areas. Frozen faba beans (green) replace the fresh product well, but are more expensive. c Dry split broad beans (fave spezzate in Italian). Drying prolongs shelf life in a cheaper way than freezing. Skin removal allows to shorten preparation times compared to whole broad beans. The majority of broad beans are marketed as skinned split beans throughout the whole Mediterranean Basin and the Middle EastBack to article page