By Madeline St. John

Do you like beans? If so, this year is the year for you. In its 68th session, the United Nations has proclaimed 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Pulses are leguminous crops used for food and feed that grow their seeds in pods, such as lentils, beans, peas, and chickpeas. The objective of this International Year is to encourage collaboration around pulses, promote their use, and educate the public on the importance and benefits of their use in sustainable food production.

As one of their projects for the year-long celebration, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the UN is printing a book to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of pulses. For this project, they have selected a small team of chefs to be the faces of the publication, from ten countries around the world. Representing the United States, Chef Ron Pickarski will be featured with recipes from his new cookbook, which, in his words, is “very pro-bean.”

For information on Ron Pickarski’s book The Classical Vegetarian Cookbook, see: http://www.eco-cuisine.com/