Soya Bean
High in protein and low in saturated fats, soya bean is used as a vegetarian and lactose alternative for many meat alternative. Originated from Asian cooking, Soya has become widely cultivated legume across many regions around the world.
Nutrition
The key benefits of soya are its high protein content, vitamins, minerals and insoluble fibre. The soya bean has been transformed into a number of popular soya based foods including:
- Miso – a fermented soya bean paste that is used as soup and flavouring, popular in Asian cuisine especially Japanese. It is a good source of many minerals.
- Tempeh – is an Indonesian specialty typically made by cooking and dehulling soya beans and forming a textured, solid ‘cake’. It is a very good source of protein, B vitamins and minerals.
- Tofu – also known as bean curd is made from soya milk by coagulating the soya proteins with calcium or magnesium salts. The whey is discarded and the curds are processed. It is an excellent source of iron and calcium and a very good source of protein.
- Mock Meat – Meat alternative made with soya for the vegetarian who wants the meat texture. Popular is East and South East Asian Cuisine.
