Soybean was domesticated in northern China from a wild vine, Glycine soja, several thousand years ago. In India it arrived as a major crop only in the 1970s, and Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan now grow most of it in the monsoon season. Most Indian soybean is crushed for cooking oil and protein-rich meal for animal feed. In the kitchen it appears as soya chunks, tofu and soy milk. Hindi soya can also mean dill, sowa.
- Botanical name
- Glycine max (L.) Merr.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Soya bean
- Hindi
- Soyabean
- Parts used
- Seed after cooking, Young pod as edamame-style food
- Habit
- Soybean, an oilseed and protein crop; Hindi soya can also mean dill
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Soya bean
It is a bushy, upright annual, usually knee- to waist-high, with stems, leaves and pods covered in fine brown or grey hairs.
Each leaf has three oval leaflets.
Small white or purple pea-flowers sit in short clusters in the leaf axils.
The pods are short and hairy, holding two or three round seeds, usually yellow but sometimes green, brown or black.
Dill, sowa, is a feathery-leaved herb of the carrot family, not a bean.
Traditional use of Soya bean
Kitchen
Soya chunks, made from defatted soy flour, are soaked and cooked into curries and pulao across India.
Indian food practice
Kitchen
In East Asia soybeans are made into tofu, soy milk, soy sauce, miso and tempeh, and young green pods are boiled as edamame.
East Asian food practice
Farming
Farmers in Malwa sow soybean with the monsoon and follow it with wheat or chickpea in winter.
Madhya Pradesh farm practice
Modern notes on Soya bean
The seeds are about forty per cent protein and twenty per cent oil.
Raw soybeans contain trypsin inhibitors and lectins that are destroyed by proper cooking.
Soy contains isoflavones, plant compounds studied for effects on hormones and heart health.
Soy is one of the major food allergens.
Soya bean safety
Cook soybeans thoroughly before eating. People with soy allergy must avoid it, and people taking thyroid hormone should take their tablet a few hours apart from soy foods.
Ecology and sourcing
Like other legumes, it fixes nitrogen with root bacteria.
It is self-pollinating.
Expanding soybean farming has driven forest clearing in South America.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Soya bean
What are soya chunks?
Textured pieces made from defatted soy flour.
Is soya the same as sowa?
No. Sowa is dill, a herb.
Can soybeans be eaten raw?
No. Cook them thoroughly.
Where is soybean grown in India?
Mainly Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
What is edamame?
Young green soybean pods, boiled.
Sources
- Glycine max (L.) Merr. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q11006 (Glycine max)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.