lamb beans cypress

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lamb tenderloin
5-bean pave: cannellini, flageolet, borlotto, cranberry, garbanzo
cypriot spice
peppadew gel
golden and mexican oregano
"Beans, beans, the magical fruit…"
You know the rest.
While there is nothing magical about flatulence, there are some that believe beans possess supernatural powers…

Jack certainly did when he traded in his cow.

So too did the Egyptians, who dedicated temples to beans and buried them in tombs.
Pythagoras believed beans contained souls in transit and banned their consumption.
Many cultures eat beans on New Years Day to bring good fortune in the coming year.

Magic, folklore, and superstition aside, beans do have an undeniable power. Nutritionists have long hailed legumes as a complete "superfood". High-fiber, low-fat, cholesterol-free, and the only food that fits into two food groups: vegetable and protein.
Besides, when well cooked and seasoned, they're just plain tasty.
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Cypriot spice 
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IMG_9096 Cypress (Thuja) is a member of Cupressaceae and is commonly known as arbor vitae (tree of life) and Whitecedar or Redcedar, although they are not true cedars. They have been immortalized in European landscape paintings. 
Although cypress is used in herbal medicine to stimulate the immune system, it contains the terpene thujone, a potentially harmful substance in large doses that is regulated in food and drink. The levels of thujone in absinthe–provided by Artemisia–was once believed to cause psychotic behavior and led to its ban in the early twentieth century. The levels of thujone in Thuja is similar or less than those found in Artemesia, sage, juniper, and tansy.


 
Recommended reading:
"Beans: A History" by Ken Albala is an amusing and informative biography of the humble beans journey across continents and cultures.

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