Soybean (Glycine max)

Glycine max, commonly called the soybean, is a legume native to East Asia and the world most widely grown legume, cultivated for its edible bean and as an important animal feed. It was domesticated from the wild soybean, Glycine soja, in north-central China between six thousand and nine thousand years ago, in the region between the Yellow and Huai rivers. The bean is valued for its high protein and oil content, with soybean oil widely used in cooking and manufacturing and the bean itself processed into tofu, soy milk and soy sauce, making it a complete protein source important to vegetarian and vegan diets. Today Brazil and the United States lead global production, roughly three quarters of the crop is fed to livestock rather than eaten directly by people, and most commercial varieties are genetically modified for pest resistance, herbicide tolerance or drought resilience.