Lentils, for instance, were originally domesticated in the Middle East, then spread through Greece to Spain and Italy and the rest of the Western world. Today, the bean most likely to be consumed by an American grocery shopper is, of course, a soybean. They're consumed as soybean oil in your salad dressing or chocolate bar or consumed indirectly as the pork or chicken in your sandwich, after first being fed to livestock as soybean meal. The dominant portion of world soybean production now comes from South America, and they are right in the thick of their growing season. The buying and selling of grain or grain futures or options involves substantial risk isn't suitable for everyone.

Source: New York Times December 13, 2023 17:07 UTC