Fava beans, also known as broad beans, grow in places as diverse as China and South America, but we associate them mostly with Mediterranean cuisine. These large, flat legumes, which resemble lima beans, grow in pods that are discarded unless the beans are especially young. Usually favas must be skinned as well as shelled; this is easy to do after they've been cooked briefly in boiling water and dropped into ice water. Fava beans work well in stews and thick purees, or can simply be steamed and eaten with salt and a squeeze of lemon.