A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for their food grain seed (e.g., beans and lentils, or generally pulse), for livestock forage and silage, and as soil-enhancing green manure. Legumes are notable in that most of them have symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in structures called root nodules. Well-known legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soybeans, peanuts and tamarind.

A legume fruit is a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a pod, although the term "pod" is also applied to a few other fruit types, such as that of vanilla (a capsule) and of radish (a silique).

Nutritional facts

Legumes are a significant source of protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrates and micronutrients, including folate, thiamin, manganese, magnesium and iron, such as for cooked black beans.

Common examples of protein combining using legumes are Indian dal and rice, Mexican beans with corn tortillas, Middle Eastern hummus commonly served with pita bread, and mujaddara, a dish consisting mainly of rice and lentils.