Consumption and use of the winged bean by Sri Lankan villagers†

Fieldwork for this research was supported by the University of Maryland Graduate Research Board and Title XII of the USAID Strengthening Grant to the University of Maryland.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the production, preparation, consumption and use of the winged bean by Sri Lankan villagers, to identify their perceptions of its value as a food, and to assess the potential for its increased production and consumption in Sri Lanka. The investigators found that the winged bean plant is well known and integrated into the foodways of the Sinhalese, Buddhist Sri Lankan, but that only the tender, immature pods and leaves are normally eaten. Intervention efforts to increase the consumption of any of the winged bean parts will require modifications in the foodways of the Sri Lankans.

The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) is a creeper in the Leguminoseae family that grows wild and under cultivation in the humid, tropical areas of South and Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. The plant has recently received international attention because of its ability to fix large amounts of nitrogen, and as a result the pods, leaves, seeds, and tuberous roots are uniquely rich in protein.

Key words:

• food consumption
• food habits
• legume
• Sinhalese
• South Asia
• Sri Lanka
• underutilized plant
• winged bean

Notes

Fieldwork for this research was supported by the University of Maryland Graduate Research Board and Title XII of the USAID Strengthening Grant to the University of Maryland.