The role of faba beans in the Egyptian diet

As economic reasons prevent an increase in the use of animal proteins, an obvious alternative is to augment the diet with legumes which, as a class, are relatively rich in proteins when compared to most other foods of plant origin. Furthermore, legumes are already in common use in the daily diet. In the towns, meat is eaten mainly by people who can afford it, and legumes go to the lower income groups. In rural areas, the farmers sell their milk, butter, cheese, eggs and poultry to buy larger quantities of cheap foods such as bread and faba beans to feed a larger number of children.