emointhekitchen History Soybeans (edamame beans) were first cultivated in China some 7000 years ago. The place of origin is said to be East Asia and China. It is said that it was already eaten in its present form during the Nara and Heian periods. The term dates from the year 1275, when the Japanese monk Nichiren wrote a note thanking a parishioner for the gift of “edamame” he had left at the temple. In 1406, during the Ming dynasty in China, the leaves of the soybeans were eaten and during outbreaks of famine, it was recommended that citizens eat the beans whole or use them ground up and added to…