noun
broad bean; fava bean
Refers to the legume Vicia faba, commonly eaten in Japan as a snack or in dishes.
春になると、そら豆がおいしい。
Broad beans are delicious in spring.
そら豆を塩ゆでにして食べた。
I boiled the fava beans in salted water and ate them.
Kanji spelling using 空 (sky).
Kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
Rare kanji form using 天 (heaven).
The name そらまめ (空豆) likely comes from the way the pods grow pointing upward toward the sky (空). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.