Split beans

Faba beans are split and polished to be exported round the world, mainly to produce the dish falafel

Generally, it is winter beans that are split as they are larger in size and easier to split due to their flatter, more oval shape.

Many thousands of tonnes of split beans are consumed during the Muslim festival Ramadan. During Ramadan Muslims fast during daylight hours so beans are usually consumed before sunrise as they release energy slowly and are very filling, helping the consumer to last throughout the day.