Edamame is a snack of young, green soybeans in their pods that look a lot like sugar snap peas, and it's very popular in Japanese restaurants and bars as a drinking food with sake and beer. Given their resemblance to certain snacking peas, which can be eaten whole, you may wonder if you can eat edamame pods.

To eat edamame the right way, simply pick up a pod, suck out the beans, and discard the shells, no matter how green and appetizing they look. While edamame pods aren’t toxic or dangerous to eat, they are difficult to chew and will likely be a challenge to swallow and digest, making them less than edible all around.

Edamame can be purchased fresh or frozen, and once the pods are trimmed, they are either pre-seasoned with coarse salt before boiling in water, or seasoned afterward. This delicious snack is rich in protein and iron, and can even be mashed up and spread on toast like avocado, but just like with avocado, don't eat the skins.