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A Brief Profile of the Soybean in History
It is widely accepted that soy originated in northeastern China, just south of Manchuria. The first written record of it appears circa 2800 B.C. in the writings of the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung, who is known as the "Father of Chinese Agriculture." Cultivated now for more than 3,000 years and long held in high regard by the Chinese physicians, the soybean has been called "the miracle bean," the "cow of China," and the "meat of the fields." Its scientific name in the West is Glycine max. Approximately 38% of the soybeans weight is protein-three times that of wheat, corn or other cereals-compared to other foodstuffs, it is one of the most inexpensive sources of protein. One calculation conducted in the 1980's estimated that one pound of protein from beef costs $9.90; from medium eggs
$3.99; from milk $2.61; and from granulated soybeans $0.82.7
TO BE CONTINUED….
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