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Common Bean

 
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The common bean, Phaseolus
Phaseolus

Phaseolus is a genus in the family Fabaceae of about fifty plant species, all native to the Americas.At least four of the species have been domestication since pre-Columbian times for their beans....
 vulgaris, is an herb
Herb

A herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like....
aceous annual plant
Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates flowers and dies in one year. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed....
 domesticated independently in ancient Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica or Meso-America is a region and cultural area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, within which a number of pre-Columbian society flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries....
 and the Andes
Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
, and now grown worldwide for its edible bean
Bean

Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genus of the Family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed.The whole young pods of bean plants, if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether cooked or raw....
, popular both dry and as a green bean
Green bean

Green beans , French beans or runner beans , also called squeaky beans, are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap b...
. The leaf
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 is occasionally used as a leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetable

Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaf eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender Petiole s and shoots....
, and the straw
Straw

Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry wikt:stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat....
 is used for fodder
Fodder

In agriculture, fodder or animal feed is any foodstuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs....
. Botanically
Botany

Botany, plant science, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of biology and is the Scientific method of plant life and development....
, the common bean is classified as a dicotyledon
Dicotyledon

Dicotyledons, or "dicots", is a name for a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group....
. Beans, squash
Squash (fruit)

Squashes generally refer to four species of the genus Cucurbita native to Mexico and Central America, also called marrows depending on variety or the nationality of the speaker....
 and maize
Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
 constituted the "Three Sisters"
Three Sisters (agriculture)

The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of some Indigenous peoples of the Americas groups in North America: Squash , maize, and climbing beans ....
 that provided the foundation of Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples....
 agriculture. Beans are a legume
Legume

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a Fruit#Simple fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually Dehiscence on two sides....
 and thus acquire their nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen is taken from its relatively inert molecular form in the Earth's atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds ....
 through an association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Rhizobia

Rhizobia are soil bacterium that Nitrogen fixation nitrogen after becoming established inside root nodules of legumes . Rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen....
.

common bean is a highly variable species with a long history.






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The common bean, Phaseolus
Phaseolus

Phaseolus is a genus in the family Fabaceae of about fifty plant species, all native to the Americas.At least four of the species have been domestication since pre-Columbian times for their beans....
 vulgaris, is an herb
Herb

A herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like....
aceous annual plant
Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates flowers and dies in one year. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed....
 domesticated independently in ancient Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica or Meso-America is a region and cultural area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, within which a number of pre-Columbian society flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries....
 and the Andes
Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
, and now grown worldwide for its edible bean
Bean

Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genus of the Family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed.The whole young pods of bean plants, if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether cooked or raw....
, popular both dry and as a green bean
Green bean

Green beans , French beans or runner beans , also called squeaky beans, are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap b...
. The leaf
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 is occasionally used as a leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetable

Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaf eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender Petiole s and shoots....
, and the straw
Straw

Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry wikt:stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat....
 is used for fodder
Fodder

In agriculture, fodder or animal feed is any foodstuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs....
. Botanically
Botany

Botany, plant science, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of biology and is the Scientific method of plant life and development....
, the common bean is classified as a dicotyledon
Dicotyledon

Dicotyledons, or "dicots", is a name for a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group....
. Beans, squash
Squash (fruit)

Squashes generally refer to four species of the genus Cucurbita native to Mexico and Central America, also called marrows depending on variety or the nationality of the speaker....
 and maize
Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
 constituted the "Three Sisters"
Three Sisters (agriculture)

The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of some Indigenous peoples of the Americas groups in North America: Squash , maize, and climbing beans ....
 that provided the foundation of Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples....
 agriculture. Beans are a legume
Legume

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a Fruit#Simple fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually Dehiscence on two sides....
 and thus acquire their nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen is taken from its relatively inert molecular form in the Earth's atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds ....
 through an association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Rhizobia

Rhizobia are soil bacterium that Nitrogen fixation nitrogen after becoming established inside root nodules of legumes . Rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen....
.

Description

The common bean is a highly variable species with a long history. Bush varieties form erect bushes 20–60 cm tall, while pole or running varieties form vine
Vine

A vine is any plant of genus Grape or, by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant. The word, derived from Latin vinea, referred to the grape-bearing variety....
s 2–3 m long. All varieties bear alternate, green or purple leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
, divided into three oval, smooth-edged leaflets, each 6–15 cm long and 3–11 cm wide. The white, pink, or purple flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are about 1 cm long, and give way to pods 8–20 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, green, yellow, black or purple in color, each containing 4–6 beans. The beans are smooth, plump, kidney-shaped, up to 1.5 cm long, range widely in color, and are often mottled in two or more colors.

As the common bean is a dicot, it germinates as such:
  • The primary root
    Radicle

    In botany, the radicle is the first part of a seedling to emerge from the seed during the process of germination. The radicle is the embryonic root of the plant, and grows downward in the soil....
     emerges through the seed coats while the seed is still buried in the soil.
  • The hypocotyl
    Hypocotyl

    Hypocotyl is a Botany term for a part of a germination seedling of a seed plant. As the plant embryo grows at germination, it sends out a shoot called a radicle that becomes the primary root and penetrates down into the soil....
     emerges from the seed coats and pushes its way up through the soil. It is bent in a hairpin shape — the hypocotyl arch (Crozier's hook) — as it grows up. The two cotyledons protect the epicotyl
    Epicotyl

    In plant physiology, the epicotyl is the embryonic shoot above the cotyledons. In most plants the epicotyl will eventually develop into the stem and the leaves of the plant....
     structures — the plumule — from mechanical damage.
  • Once the hypocotyl arch emerges from the soil, it straightens out. This response is triggered by light (phototropism). While this may be caused by most wavelengths of light, the critical photoperidic mechanism is sensitive to red or far red light. This mechanism is crucial, not only to Phaseolus beans, but to most flowering plants. It defines the phenology of their growth, and in some cases growth habits.
  • The cotyledons spread apart, exposing the epicotyl, consisting of two primary leaves and the apical meristem.
  • In many dicots, the cotyledons not only supply their food stores to the developing plant but also turn green and make more food by photosynthesis until they drop off.


Toxicity

Before they are eaten, the raw bean seeds should be soaked in water for several hours and then boiled for at least ten minutes in new fresh water to degrade a toxic
Toxin

A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. For a toxic substance not produced by living organisms, "toxicant" is the more appropriate term, and "toxics" is an acceptable plural....
 compound - the lectin
Lectin

Lectins are sugar-binding proteins which are highly specific for their sugar moieties. They typically play a role in biological recognition phenomena involving cells and proteins....
 phytohaemagglutinin
Phytohaemagglutinin

Phytohaemagglutinin is a lectin found in plants, especially beans. PHA actually consists of two closely related proteins, called Leucoagglutinin and PHA-E....
 - found in the bean which would otherwise cause severe gastric upset. This compound is present in many varieties (and in some other species of bean), but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans and white kidney beans (Cannellini beans). Although in the case of dry beans the ten minutes required to degrade the toxin is much shorter than the hours required to fully cook the beans themselves, outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with the use of slow cooker
Slow cooker

A slow cooker, or Crock-Pot , is a countertop electrical cooking appliance that maintains a relatively low temperature for many hours, allowing unattended cooking of pot roast, stew, and other suitable dishes....
s whose low cooking temperatures may be unable to degrade the toxin. Sprouts
Sprouting

Sprouting is the practice of soaking, draining and then rinsing seeds at regular intervals until they germinate, or sprout. This can be a semi-automated or fully automated process when done on a large scale for commercial use....
 of pulses high in haemaglutins should not be eaten. Kidney beans, especially, should not be sprouted.

Dry beans

Similar to other beans, the common bean is high in starch
Starch

File:Amylose2.svgFile:Amylopektin Sessel.svgStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds....
, protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
 and dietary fiber
Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation....
 and is an excellent source of iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
, potassium
Potassium

Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....
, selenium
Selenium

Selenium is a chemical element with the atomic number 34, represented by the chemical symbol Se, an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, chemically related to sulfur and tellurium, and rarely occurs in its elemental state in nature....
, molybdenum
Molybdenum

Molybdenum , is a Group 6 element chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. It has the List of elements by melting point melting point of any element....
, thiamine
Thiamine

'Thiamine', or 'thiamin', sometimes called aneurin, is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex , whose phosphate derivatives are involved in many cellular processes....
, vitamin B6
Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the vitamin B complex group. Pyridoxal phosphate is the active form and is a cofactor in many reactions of amino acid metabolism, including transamination, deamination, and decarboxylation....
, and folic acid
Folic acid

Folic acid and Folate are forms of the water-soluble B vitamins. Vitamin B9 is essential to numerous bodily functions ranging from nucleotide synthesis to the remethylation of homocysteine....
.

Dry beans will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but as time passes, their nutritive
Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
 value and flavor
Flavor

Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other chemical substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and olfaction....
 degrade and cooking times lengthen. Dried beans are almost always cooked by boiling
Boiling

Boiling, a type of phase transition, is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which typically occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure....
, often after having been soaked for several hours. While the soaking is not strictly necessary, it shortens cooking time and results in more evenly textured beans. In addition, discarding one or more batches of soaking water leaches out hard-to-digest complex sugars that can cause flatulence
Flatulence

Flatulence is the production of a mixture of gases in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals or other animals that are byproducts of the digestion process....
, though those who eat beans regularly rarely have difficulties with flatulence as intestinal microbes adjust. There are several methods including overnight soaking, and the power soak method, which is to boil beans for three minutes, then set them aside for 2-4 hours, then drain and discard the water and proceed with cooking. Common beans take longer to cook than most pulses
Pulse (legume)

Pulses are annual leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and color within a pod, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations ....
: cooking times vary from one to four hours but are substantially reduced with pressure cooking
Pressure cooking

Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. Because the boiling point of water increases as the pressure increases, the pressure built up inside the cooker allows the liquid in the pot to rise to a higher temperature before boiling....
.

In Mexico, Central America and South America, the traditional spice to use with beans is epazote
Epazote

Epazote, Wormseed, Jesuit's Tea, Mexican Tea, or Herba Sancti Mari? is a herb native to Central America, South America, and southern Mexico....
, which is also said to aid digestion. In East Asia a type of seaweed, Kombu
Kombu

Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , are edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
, is added to beans as they cook for the same purpose. Salt, sugar, and acidic foods like tomatoes may harden uncooked beans resulting in seasoned beans at the expense of slightly longer cooking times.

Dry beans may also be bought pre-cooked and canned
Canning

File:Berthold Weiss Canned Foods.jpgFile:Canned food factory .jpgCanning is a method of food preservation in which the food is processed and sealed in an airtight container....
 as refried beans
Refried beans

Refried beans is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and is a traditional staple of Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine....
, or whole with water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, salt
Edible salt

Salt is a dietary mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride that is essential for animal life, but toxic to most land plants. Salt flavor is one of the taste#Basic_tastes, an important Salting_ and a popular food seasoning....
, and sometimes sugar
Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many other sources....
.

Green beans

There are three commonly known types of green beans: string or runner beans, stringless or French beans (depending on whether the pod has a tough, fibrous "string" running along its length), and snap beans, with a thin flat pod that requires less cooking time. Compared to the dry beans, they provide less starch and protein, and more vitamin A
Vitamin A

Vitamin A, a bi-polar molecule formed with bi-polar covalent bonds between carbon and hydrogen, is linked to a family of similarly shaped molecules, the retinoids, which complete the remainder of the vitamin sequence....
 and vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
. The green beans are often steamed
Steaming

Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. Steaming is considered a relatively healthier cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food....
, stir-fried
Stir frying

Stir frying is an umbrella term used to describe two fast cooking techniques: chao and b?o . The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, to describe the chao technique....
, or baked
Baking

Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by Heat convection, and not by Thermal radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones....
 in casserole
Casserole

A casserole, from the French language for "saucepan," is a large, deep pot or dish used both in the oven and as a serving dish. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a dish....
s.

Shelling beans

As with other beans, prominent among them lima bean
Lima bean

'Phaseolus lunatus' is a legume. It is grown for its seed, which is eaten as a vegetable. It is commonly known as the 'lima bean' or 'butter bean'; it is also known as Haba bean, Pallar bean, Burma bean, Guffin bean, Hibbert bean, Sieva bean, Rangoon bean, Madagascar bean, Paiga, Paigya, ...
s, soybean
Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
s, pea
Pea

A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although treated as a vegetable in cooking, it is botanically a fruit....
s, and fava bean
Vicia faba

Vicia faba, the Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Faba Bean, Field Bean, Bell Bean or Tic Bean is a species of legume native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere....
s, common beans can be used for fresh shell beans, can also be called shelling beans, which are fully mature beans harvested from the pod before they have begun to dry.

Nutritionally, shell beans are similar to dry beans, but in the kitchen are treated as a vegetable, often steamed, fried, or made into soups.

Popping beans

The nuña is an Andean subspecies, Phaseolus vulgaris subsp. nunas (formerly Phaseolus vulgaris (Nuñas Group)), with round multicolored seeds which resemble pigeon eggs. When cooked on high heat, the bean explodes, exposing the inner part, in the manner of popcorn
Popcorn

Popcorn or popping corn is a type of maize, which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn popping was originally discovered by Native Americans in the United States, but became popular as a snack food during the United States Great Depression....
 and other puffed grain
Puffed grain

Puffed grain includes ancient puffed grains like popcorn as well as puffed rice. Modern puffed grains are often created using high pressure.High pressure puffed grain is created by placing whole grains under high pressure with steam....
s.

Varieties

Phaseolus Vulgaris Seed
Many well-known bean varieties belong to this species, and none of the lists below are in any way exhaustive. Both bush and running (pole) varieties exist. The colors and shapes of pods and seeds vary tremendously.

Anasazi

The Anasazi bean (aka Aztec bean, Cave bean, New Mexico Appaloosa) is a bean native to the North American Southwest.

Black beans


The small, shiny black turtle bean is especially popular in Latin American cuisine
Latin American cuisine

Latin American Cuisine is a phrase that refers to typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America....
. It is often called simply the black bean (frijol negro in Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
, feijão preto in Portuguese
Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
), although this can cause confusion with other black bean
Black bean

Black bean can mean:* The black turtle bean, a small, black variety of the common bean especially popular in Latin American cuisine* Douchi, a kind of Fermentation soybean especially popular in the cuisine of China...
s.

The black turtle bean has a dense, meat
Meat

In modern English usage, meat most often refers to animal biological tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to offal, including livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, in some countries lungs, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood....
y texture and flavor reminiscent of mushroom
Mushroom

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi that have a stem , a cap , and gills on the unde...
s, which makes it popular in vegetarian dishes such as the Mexican-American black bean burrito
Burrito

A burrito , or taco de harina, is a type of food found in Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine. It consists of a flour tortilla wrapped or folded around a filling....
. It is a very popular bean in various regions of Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, and is used in the national dish, feijoada
Feijoada

Feijoada is a stew of common beans with beef and pork meats, which is a typical Portuguese cuisine dish, also typical in Brazil, Angola and other former Portuguese colonies....
. It is also a principal ingredient of Platillo Moros y Cristianos
Platillo Moros y Cristianos

Platillo Moros y Cristianos is the national dish of Cuba, their version of the rice and beans combination found throughout the Caribbean and in Brazil....
 in Cuba, is a must-have in the typical gallo pinto
Gallo pinto

Gallo pinto is the prototypical traditional dish of Nicaragua and Costa Rica cuisines. It is considered the national dish of both countries, although the two prepare it in a different manner, and is eaten as a part of any meal....
 of Costa Rica
Costa Rica

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
 and Nicaragua
Nicaragua

Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
, and is served in almost all of Latin America as well as many Hispanic enclaves in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The black turtle bean is also very popular for making into soups which are best eaten with Cuban crackers.

Black turtle beans have recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutrition
Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
al antioxidant
Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the Redox of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent....
s.

Black turtle bean varieties include:
  • Black Magic
  • Blackhawk
  • Domino
  • Nighthawk
  • Valentine


Cranberry and Borlotti beans

Cranberry beans originated in Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 as the cargamanto. The bean is a medium large tan bean, splashed with red/black to magenta streaks.

Borlotti beans, also known as roman beans or romano beans (not to be confused with Italian flat beans, a green bean
Green bean

Green beans , French beans or runner beans , also called squeaky beans, are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap b...
 also called "romano bean"), are a variety of cranberry bean bred in Italy to have a thicker skin. It is very popular in Italian, Portuguese and Turkish cuisine.

Pinto beans look the same as cranberry and borlotti beans, but differ in taste.

Pink beans

Pink beans are small oval-shaped beans, pale pink in color, also known by the Spanish name Habichuelas Rosadas. The most famous pink bean is the Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California

Santa Maria is the largest city in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the California State Department of Finance, Santa Maria's estimated population of 91,110 has surpassed that of Santa Barbara, California, making it the largest city in the county....
 pinquito (spanglish = pink and small(ito)), which is commercially grown on the mesas above Santa Maria, California, and is a necessary ingredient in Santa Maria Tri-tip
Tri-tip

The tri-tip is a cut of beef from the Sirloin steak primal cut. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. per side of beef....
 barbecue
Barbecue

Barbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking food, often meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal and may include application of a marinade, spice rub, or Basting barbecue sauce to the meat....
.

Pinto or mottled beans

Pinto Bean
The pinto bean (Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
: frijol pinto, literally "painted bean") is named for its mottled skin (compare pinto horse
American Paint Horse

The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western riding stock horse with a pinto horse spotting pattern of white and dark equine coat color....
), hence it is a type of mottled bean. It is the most common bean in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  and northwestern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 , and is most often eaten whole in broth or mashed and refried
Refried beans

Refried beans is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and is a traditional staple of Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine....
. Either whole or mashed, it is a common filling for burrito
Burrito

A burrito , or taco de harina, is a type of food found in Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex cuisine. It consists of a flour tortilla wrapped or folded around a filling....
s. The young pods may also be used as green beans.

In the southwest United States, the pinto bean is an important symbol of regional identity, especially among Mexican American
Mexican American

Mexican Americans are United States of Mexican descent. They account for 9% of the country's population: 28.3 million Americans listed their ancestry as Mexican as of 2006....
s. Along with the chile/chilli, it is one of the official state vegetables of New Mexico
New Mexico

New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S....
 (under the name frijol). The prepared beans are commonly known as frijoles. This type of bean is also referred to as "Cowboy Beans" in Texas, all along the Mexican border and wherever Mexican cowboys were employed. In areas where Mexican cowboys did not travel on the trails north from Texas, it was probably not known.

This is the bean most commonly used for refried beans (fresh or canned) and in many dishes at Tex-Mex restaurants. Rice and pinto beans served with cornbread or corn tortillas are often a staple meal where there is limited money for meat, as the combination of beans and corn creates all the protein amino acids needed in a meat substitute. When it comes to making chili, if a bean is added, this is the one typically used, although the kidney bean, black bean, and many others may also be used in other locales (see below).

In the southeastern part of the United States, pinto beans were once a staple of the poor (usually eaten with cornbread, milk, and cabbage), especially during the winter months. Some churches in rural areas still sponsor "pinto bean suppers" for social gatherings and fund raisers.

Alubia Pinta Alavesa2
The alubia pinta alavesa, or the "Álava pinto bean", is a red variety of the pinto bean which originated in Añana
Añana

A?ana is a town and municipality located in the province of ?lava, in the Basque Country , northern Spain.External links...
, a town and municipality
Municipality

A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them....
 located in the province of Álava
Álava

?lava is a Provinces of Spain of northern Spain in the southern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain of the Basque Country . The province has a population of 301,926 and an area of 2.963 km? ....
, in the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)

The Basque Country is an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The Basque Country was granted the status of Historical regions in Spain within Spain with the Spanish Constitution of 1978....
 of northern Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. In October, "la Feria de la alubia pinta alavesa" (the fair
Fair

A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment....
 of the Alubia pinta alavesa) is celebrated in Pobes.

Pinto bean varieties include:
  • Burke
  • Othello
  • Maverick
  • Sierra


Red or kidney beans


The kidney bean with its dark red skin is named for its visual resemblance to a kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
. The kidney bean is also known as the red bean, although this usage can cause confusion with other red bean
Red bean

Red bean can mean:* Azuki bean , most common in East Asia* Ricebean * Any of various red varieties of the common bean , including the kidney bean, Honduran red bean, and Salvadoran red bean...
s. Red kidney beans (rajma in Hindi
Hindi

Standard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a Standard language register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 official languages of India, and is used, along with English language, for administration of the central government....
 and Punjabi
Punjabi language

'Punjabi' , , is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region and their diasporas. Speakers include adherents of the religions of Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism....
) are an integral part of the cuisine in northern region of India. Sometimes kidney beans are used in the red beans and rice
Red beans and rice

Red beans and rice is an emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine, traditionally made on Mondays with common bean, vegetables , spices and pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner, cooked together slowly in a pot and served over rice....
 of Louisiana Creole cuisine
Louisiana Creole cuisine

Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana which is a melting pot cuisine that blends French cuisine, Spanish cuisine, Caribbean, Mediterranean, United States, and African, influences....
. Other times small red beans are used. Small red beans are noticeably smaller and darker than kidney beans. They have a smoother taste and are preferred for Cajun cuisine. Small kidney beans used in La Rioja, Spain, are called Caparrones
Caparrones

In the Spain region of La Rioja a variety of red kidney bean shorter and more rounded than usual is known as a caparr?n. By extension, the stew prepared with this bean is called caparrones, and it is one of the most important dishes of Riojan cooking....
.

Shell beans

Cornucopia lists 37 varieties of shell beans. The light green Flageolet bean is taken very seriously in France and soon the heirloom Chevrier will come under a controlled label reminiscent of the wine "Appellation d'Origine Controllée" called "Label Rouge". A number of other beans are already produced under this label.

Flageolet bean varieties include:
  • Chevrier (the original heirloom)
  • Elsa
  • Flambeau
  • Flamingo

Snap or String beans

Noe Beanpoles
Stephen Facciola's Cornucopia lists 130 varieties of snap beans. Varieties specialized for use as green bean
Green bean

Green beans , French beans or runner beans , also called squeaky beans, are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap b...
s, selected for the succulence and flavor of their pods, are the ones usually grown in the home vegetable garden, and many varieties exist. Pod color can be green, golden, purple, red, or streaked. Shapes range from thin "fillet" types to wide "romano" types and more common types in between. French Haricots verts (green beans) are bred for flavorful pods.
  • Blue Lake (green)
  • Dragon's Tongue (streaked)
  • Golden Wax (golden)
  • Purple King (purple)
  • Red Swan (red)


White beans

The small, white navy bean, also called pea bean or haricot, is particularly popular in Britain
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and the US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, featured in such dishes as baked beans
Baked beans

Baked beans is a dish consisting of beans, baking in a sauce. Most commercial canned baked beans are made from Common bean#White beanss, also known as Navy Beans - a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris - and sold in a sauce....
 and even pies
Bean pie

A bean pie is a sweet custard pie whose filling consists of mashed beans?usually navy bean?sugar, butter, milk, and spices. Bean pies are commonly associated with soul food cuisine....
, as well as in various soup
Soup

Soup is a food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables in Stock or hot/boiling water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth....
s such as the famous Senate Bean Soup.

Navy bean varieties include:
  • Great northern beans
  • Rainy River
  • Robust
  • Michelite
  • Sanilac


Other white beans are Cannellini (a quite popular variety in Central and Southern Italy) and Great Northern.

Yellow beans

Sinaloa Azufrado, Sulphur, Mayocoba, and Peruano (also called Canary) are types of yellow beans.

Peruano beans (also called Canary beans) are small, oval, yellow colored beans about 1/2 inch (1 cm) long with a thin skin. Peruano Beans have a creamy texture when cooked, and are one of the top-selling beans in Mexico City
Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the most important economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country; the most populous city with over 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008....
 since 2005 (being native to Mexico, despite the name).

See also

  • Azuki bean
    Azuki bean

    The azuki bean is an Annual plant vine widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small bean. The cultivars most familiar in north-east Asia have a uniform red color, but white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known....
  • Bean
    Bean

    Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genus of the Family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed.The whole young pods of bean plants, if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether cooked or raw....
     - for other genera and species of beans
  • Chickpea
    Chickpea

    The chickpea is an edible legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Chickpeas are high in protein and one of the earliest cultivated vegetables....
  • Dal
    Dal

    Dal or Pappu is a preparation of pulse s which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick, spicy stew prepared therefrom, a mainstay of Indian cuisine, Cuisine of Pakistan, and Cuisine of Bangladesh cuisine....
  • Lentil
    Lentil

    The lentil or daal or pulse is a bushy annual plant of the Fabaceae family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 15 inches tall and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each....
  • List of common bean diseases
    List of common bean diseases

    This article is a list of diseases of common bean ....
  • Mung bean
    Mung bean

    ||-||}Mung bean, also known as green bean, mung, moong, mash bean, munggo or monggo, green gram, golden gram, and green soy, is the seed of Vigna radiata which is native to India and Pakistan....
  • Pulse (legume)
    Pulse (legume)

    Pulses are annual leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and color within a pod, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations ....
  • Broad bean
    Vicia faba

    Vicia faba, the Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Faba Bean, Field Bean, Bell Bean or Tic Bean is a species of legume native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere....


External links

  • on the Multilingual Multiscript Plantname Database site.
  • , p 174 displays a popped seed of P. vulgaris nunas. (An extremely attractive color photograph by J. Kucharski featuring many cultivars can be found in Lost Crops of the Incas between p 192 & p 193, unfortunately not shown on web site).