Soy is a legume of the Papillionaceae family, to which plants such as beans or peas belong. It is an annual plant up to 1.5m tall with white or purple flowers. The fruits are legumes up to 7cm in length with one or four seeds inside. These have different colors, depending on the variety in question (mainly yellow, black or green).
Soy has its origin in Southeast Asia. Since the eastern religions prohibited the consumption of animal meat, soybeans were imposed from the beginning as an essential crop to supply the protein that they could not acquire from meat. In fact, in these regions it is known as "meat from the fields", since it is often used as a substitute for meat.