![marapets magic bean marapets magic bean](https://magicgumballs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/JELLY-BEANS.jpg)
When he wasn’t busy coming up with theories about triangles, Pythagoras spent his time coming up with reasons to hate beans.
![marapets magic bean marapets magic bean](https://www.toysandco.com/media/products/large/CK6224-l.jpg)
And you thought Madonna hated hydrangeas. Unlike most vegetarian diets, in which beans are incorporated as a source of protein, Pythagoras had such a hatred for favas he forbid his followers from consuming or even touching the bean. Part of being a Pythagorean included adhering to a vegetarian diet. Highly influential for his contributions to mathematics, Pythagoras had a large number of followers known as Pythagoreans.
![marapets magic bean marapets magic bean](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0069/7699/5391/products/P10445-367-Final_Web_Use_JPG_1024x1024@2x.jpg)
In other words, these priests were in denial, and we’re kind-of sort-of talking about the river in Egypt.Īlthough Egyptians felt a mixed sentiment towards fava beans, there was only one thing the Greek philosopher Pythagoras felt for them-sheer disdain. As a result, fava beans were not just a magical fruit but also a forbidden fruit in which priests were required to exercise a form of self-denial. Due to their usage in religious ceremonies, priests may have had an abstinence only policy regarding savoring their tempting flesh. Herodotus claimed some Egyptians were not only prohibited from eating the beans but were also restricted from even looking at them. Pharaoh Rameses III offered 11,998 jars of fava beans to the god of the Nile. Instead, they functioned as symbolic offerings to gods. When an object such as the fava bean is considered to contain supernatural properties, it can be viewed as simultaneously beneficial and harmful.Īs a result of their magical reputation, it was taboo for priests to consume fava beans. But its magico-religious affiliation meant certain groups were restricted from eating it. Grown in abundance along the Nile River, Egyptians have incorporated fava beans into many traditional dishes including falafel and ful medames. (This might just be a case of logic not luck since a cupboard containing fava beans will technically never be empty.) A fava bean in the wallet is thought to bring fortune and keeping a few in a pantry is said to ensure it will never be bare. They are consumed throughout the year in risottos, pastas and stews and the lucky bean can be carried at any time. Of course, fava bean consumption and honoring isn’t limited to special occasions. On the day they are traditionally sown, All Souls Day, fava bean shaped cakes are baked in their honor, known as fave dei morti or “beans of the dead.” Part of the festivities on Saint Joseph’s Day include placing fava beans in church altars and incorporating fava beans into the accompanying feasts. Since then, Sicilians have honored Saint Joseph annually on March 19th. The hearty fava beans were the only crops to be salvaged and helped prevent a famine. He answered their prayers by making it rain, not in the way Fat Joe might in da club, but by actually making it rain. Sicilians prayed to Saint Joseph for rain. Sicily experienced a serious drought in the Middle Ages that led to hunger and crop destruction. It also earned the beans magical status in Sicily, where they were considered more than merely food. Their hardiness and ability to endure cold climates contributed to their endurance as a crop. With evidence of their incorporation into diets dating back to at least 6000 BC, fava beans are one of the oldest cultivated plants. The beans in Jack and the Beanstalk are believed to be fava beans and they have a magical history all their own. (Photos 1&2) Long before the days of raves, another boy was offered magical beans that also took him to a place high in the sky. My preferred method of transport might involve a more practical trip, such as one by taxi or subway, but to each his own. I could see why he did it if I was surrounded by adults sucking on pacifiers and hula hooping to techno beats, I’d want out of there, too. A friend of mine once recounted his evening of clubbing after taking magic beans, describing them as transporting him to an entirely new place.