A little history ...
The Bernardaud Institute tells us the story of the broad bean and its Egyptian and Greek origins.
In the Middle Ages, on Epiphany day, whoever was lucky enough to find the fava bean, which at the time was the vegetable, in his cake had to buy the round for the whole table. But those who were stingier, or nowadays “stingy”, swallowed the precious legume so as not to spend any money. This is how the porcelain bean came into being, so that the king would be afraid to swallow it!
The first porcelain beans arrived in Limoges around 1880. They were made of biscuit or enamelled porcelain, in the form of dolls as a sign of fertility. Over the years, broad beans in the form of good luck charms, animals or everyday objects made their appearance.
Bernardaud
