Every time we see honey bees pollinating fava bean blossoms, we think of actor Anthony Hopkins.
Remember that malevolent scene in the "Silence of the Lambs" film (1991) when serial killer Hannibal Lecter (portrayed magnificently by Hopkins (says: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."
Film historians say most folks missed the significance "...Dr Lecter's choice of sides weren't based on his taste predilections, he was making a medical joke. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) could have been used to treat him, and what are the three things you're not allowed to eat while taking them? Liver, beans and wine."
Fact is, some folks cannot eat fava beans because they have a disease called favism, a condition characterized by hemolytic anemia (breakup of red blood cells). It's linked to a metabolic disorder known as G6PDD (or Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency). Indeed, some get an adverse reaction just by inhaling the pollen of the fava bean plant.
In the culinary world, the fava bean is commonly called the broad bean (Vicia faba) and is eaten raw or cooked. In the agricultural world, it's cultivated for human consumption and is also used for a cover crop to add nitrogen to the soil. Horses eat a variety called field bean.
But honey bees? They just can't get enough of them.
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