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Soybean History

Soybeans originally came from eastern China. The earliest records of the soybean plant date back to China in 2838 B.C. They were not grown in the U.S. until 1765. For more than 150 years after that, soybeans were grown mainly for food for animals to graze on. But in the early 1900s, scientist George Washington Carver discovered that soybeans have valuable protein and oil. Then humans began using soybeans for food (and other things). Today soybeans are the number 1 vegetable oil crop in the world. Many countries use soybeans as their main source of protein instead of meat, eggs, or cheese.