The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SOYA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
O
Y
A
More clues leading to the result SOYA
- Leguminous plant, one originally unknown in South Africa
- Veggie food seaman from East always rejected
- Asian bean plant, one originally unknown in South Africa
- Old yard in South Africa producing plant
- Thereupon chatter but not quietly
- Protein from very variable area
- Yes, sailor served up a type of bean
- Sorry to miss “bishop with a B”
- Plant also unknown by Academy
- Legume very ably cored and served up
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Veggie food" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case veggie food = soya.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SOYA mean?
SOYA noun- A common East Asian liquid sauce, made by subjecting boiled beans to long fermentation and then long digestion in salt and water.
- Soybeans, or the protein derived from them.