The common bean has a long history of cultivation. All wild members of the species have a climbing habit,[4][5] but manycultivars are classified either asbush beans orclimbing beans, depending on their style of growth. The other major types of commercially grown beans are the runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) and the broad bean (Vicia faba).
Beans are grown on every continent except Antarctica. In 2022, 28 milliontonnes of dry common beans were produced worldwide, led by India with 23% of the total.[6]
Raw dry beans contain the toxic compoundphytohaemagglutinin,[7] which can be deactivated by cooking beans for ten minutes atboiling point (100 °C, 212 °F). The U.S.Food and Drug Administration also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water which should then be discarded, although this is largely for reducing indigestible carbohydrates.[7]
Bush varieties form erect bushes 20–60 centimetres (8–20 inches) tall, whilepole, orrunning, varieties formvines 2–3 metres (7–10 feet) long. All varieties bear alternate, green or purpleleaves, which are divided into three oval, smooth-edged leaflets, each 6–15 cm (2–6 in) long and 3–11 cm (1–4 in) wide. The white, pink, or purpleflowers are about a centimetre long and have 10stamens each. The flowers areself-pollinating, which facilitates the selection of stable cultivars. The flowers give way to pods 8–20 cm (3–8 in) long and 1–1.5 cm wide. These may be green, yellow, black, or purple, each containing 4–8 beans. Some varieties develop a string along the pod; these are generally cultivated for dry beans, as green stringy beans are not commercially desirable. 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. The beans maintain their germination capacity for up to five years.
Like most species fromPhaseolus, the genome ofP. vulgaris has 11 chromosomal pairs (2n = 22). Its genome is one of the smallest in the legume family at 625 Mbp per haploid genome.[8]
InSpecies Plantarum in 1753,Carl Linnaeus classified the beans known by him into genusPhaseolus and genusDolichos, naming 11 species ofPhaseolus,[9] including 6 cultivated species and 5 "wild" species.
The beans cultivated in Europe prior to theColumbian Exchange were of Asian origin and are unrelated to New WorldPhaseolus species. The Eurasian species were transferred to other genera includingVigna,Vicia andLablab, so members of thePhaseolus genus are now all from the Americas.[10]
Ancient Greeks used the wordφάσηλος (phasēlos) to refer to the beans of Asian origins that were cultivated in Europe at the time.[11] TheRomans used both the Latinizedphaseolus and their ownfaba to refer to different pre-Columbian species of beans,[12] presumably using the wordfaseolus for smaller seeds like those belonging to the genusVigna such asblack-eyed peas[13] and the wordfaba for larger seeds, such as thefava beans. This latter word,faba, was related to theProto-Germanicbauno, from which theOld English wordbean is derived and has the meaning of "bean, pea, legume".[14] WhenPhaseolus vulgaris arrived in Europe in the16th century, this species was yet another seed in a pod, thus there were already words in the European languages describing it.
In theAmericas,P. vulgaris is also known asayacotl inNahuatl (Aztec language),búul inMayan (Maya language) andpurutu inQuechua (Inca language). In Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, the Spanish nameporoto is used, being derived from its corresponding Quechua word. Additional names include theCastilian Spanishfrijol, thePortuguesefeijão, and theCatalanfesol.
Two genetic pools of the domestication ofP. vulgaris 1 –Mesoamerican area 2 –Andean area
WildP. vulgaris is native to the Americas. It was originally assumed that it had beendomesticated separately inMesoamerica and in the southernAndes region some8000years ago, giving the domesticated bean twogene pools.[15][16]
Good commercial yield in favorable environments under irrigation is 5 to 7 tonnes per hectare (2 to 3 short ton/acre) fresh and 1.4 to 1.8 tonnes per hectare (0.6 to 0.8 short ton/acre) dry seed.[19]
Archeologists found large-seeded varieties of the domesticated bean in the highlands of Peru, dating to 2300 BC, and spreading to the coastal regions by around 500 BC.[20] Small-seeded varieties were found in sites in Mexico, dating to 300 BC, which then spread north and east of theMississippi River by 1000 AD.[20]
Many well-known beancultivars and varieties belong to this species, and the list below is in no way exhaustive. Both bush and running (pole) cultivars/varieties exist. The colors and shapes of pods and seeds vary over a wide range.[21]
Name
Image
Description
Anasazi
Anasazi beans are a dappled red and white bean first cultivated byAncestral Puebloan people around 130 AD in what is now theFour Corners region of the United States. Anasazi Bean is often confused with Jacob's Cattle variety, but Anasazi has splashes of color, whereas Jacob's Cattle has splashes and small spots. Anasazi beans were adopted by commercial growers beginning in the 1980s and marketed under the name "Anasazi"; traditionally they were known by the Spanish namesfrijol conejo (rabbit bean),vaquita (little cow), orpájaro carpintero (woodpecker).[22][23]
Front portion of the bean is ivory colored; the other end is speckled with reddish-purple and mocha. The bean is named after theAppaloosa ponies of theNez Perce tribe. The seed was cultivated near thePalouse River in EasternWashington and NorthernIdaho.
Calypso beans, also calledpanda beans oryin–yang beans, are half black and half white, with one or two black dots in the white area. When young, the pods can be harvested as green beans. But when full-grown, they are used as a bean for drying.
Thecranberry beans originated inColombia as thecargamanto bean. Borlotti or Roman beans are a variety of cranberry beans bred in Italy to have a thicker skin. They are much used in Mediterranean cuisine. A widespread cultivar of European borlotti is 'Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco' (Tongue of Fire).
The dragon tongue bean is a type ofcranberry bean. It is a flavorful, juicy bean whose seeds are encased in a buffed, colorful pod with mottled burgundy patterns throughout the shell's surface. The shelled beans are pale pistachio green in color, their size, petite, and their shape, ovate and slightly curved.[24]
Flageolet beans are picked before full maturity and dried in the shade to retain a green color and a distinct taste. The seeds are small, light green, and kidney-shaped. If shelled and cooked when fresh but semi-dry, the texture is firm yet creamy. They are often eaten in France, where they traditionally accompany lamb.
Great northern beans
Great northern beans are a large, flat, kidney-shaped white bean. They have a mild, nutty flavor. They are popular in North America and often added tosoups and casseroles.
Kidney beans, also known as red beans, are named for their visual resemblance in shape and color tokidneys. They are sometimes used inchili con carne and are an integral part of the cuisine in northern regions of India. They are also used in New Orleans and much of southern Louisiana for the Monday Creole dish ofred beans and rice as well as the Caribbeanhabichuelas guisadas and Central Americangallo pinto.
Jacob's cattle
Similar to Anasazi in appearance, with the exception of having also dots. Legend says thePassamaquoddy indigenous people ofMaine gave these beans as a gift to Joseph Clark, the first Caucasian child born in Lubec, Maine in the 1600s. Also known as Trout.[25]
Mocha with cherry
"Mocha with cherry" is a polebean. This variety is said to come from the Rodope area in Bulgaria, and to be related to "Papa de Rola" and "Dove's Breast".
North Holland brown
This bean is an old Dutch Heirloom bush variety primarily used for dried beans.
A type ofP. vulgaris called pea bean has been recorded in Britain since the 16th century.[26] In the US, the name "pea bean" is also used to describe small white beans and the same name is used forVigna unguiculata subsp.sesquipedalis, also called yard-long bean and cowpea.[27] The seeds of the British pea bean are bicolored red-brown and white (not to be confused with Jacob's Cattle, which is darker red than reddish-brown). The plants are typical climbing beans. The beans are either eaten in the pod-like French beans or may be harvested when mature and eaten as other dried beans.[28]
Peruano
Also known as mayocoba, canary, canario, Peruvian, Mexican yellow bean. A light green to jaundice yellow kidney-shaped bean that is preferred in certain regions of Mexico (such as Jalisco[29]) for makingfrijoles refritos, and in Peru for makingtacu tacu, a pan-fried cake of leftover beans and rice.[30] Often described as having a "buttery" and "creamy" texture.
Pink
Pink beans are small, pale pink, oval-shaped beans also known by the Spanish namehabichuelas rosadas.[31] TheSanta Mariapinquito (Spanglish = pink and small), is commercially grown on the mesas above Santa Maria, California, and is a necessary ingredient inSanta Maria-style barbecue.
Pinto beans are named for their mottled skin (Spanish:pinto = painted or mottled). They are the most common bean in the United States[32] and northwestern Mexico,[33] and are most often eaten whole in broth or mashed andrefried. Either whole or mashed, they are a common filling forburritos. The young pods may also be harvested and cooked as green pinto beans.
Polish eagle beans
Also called by the Independence bean by the Polish people because the brown pattern on the inner side of the bean resembles and Eagle - the Polish emblem. This bean variety was cultivated in the XIX century as an act of patriotism by the Polish people.[34]
A medium-sized, oblong bean with light brown seeds striped with brown markings. Named for the snake-like manner in which their pods coil around the vine.[35]
Small red beans, also known as "Mexican red beans", "Central American red beans", and "New Orleans red beans". Popular in central america. Often confused with kidney beans their cousin for a similar color.[36]
Sulphur
Also known asChina yellow bean, a thin-skinned, nearly roundMaine heirloom bean that has a tawny yellow color but cooks white and has a distinctly unique flavor.[37] This is a choice variety for use in the traditional Bean Hole style.[38]
Tiger's eye
A bush variety, thought to have originated in Chile or Argentina.[39]
White
Navy beans or haricot beans are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. White beans are the most abundant plant-based source ofphosphatidylserine known.[40]
Yellow (Enola type)
'Sinaloa Azufrado', 'Mayocoba', and 'Peruano' (also called canary) are yellow beans. Peruano beans (see above) are small, oval, yellow beans about 1/2 in (1 cm) long with a thin skin. They have a creamy texture when cooked. Despite the name ('Peruvian beans' in Spanish), they are native to Mexico. Yellow beans are uncommon in the United States due to a controversial patent issued in 1999 to John Proctor, who selected and named a strain of yellow beans from seeds he brought back from Mexico. U.S. Patent No. 5,894,079 (theEnola or yellow bean patent) granted POD-NERS, LLC., exclusive right to import and sell yellow beans in the United States from 1999 through 2008 when the patent was rejected after reexamination.[41][42]
Yellow eye
Also known asMaine yellow eye, this is the most popular baking bean inMaine, which comes in several strains, including the 'Steuben', one of the oldest heirloom beans. It has a wide appeal for its clean, mild taste and is considered the baked bean of choice for church and grange suppers.[37]
The toxic compoundphytohaemagglutinin, alectin, is present in many common bean varieties but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. White kidney beans contain about a third as much phytohaemagglutinin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5–10% of the amount that red kidney beans contain.[7]
Phytohaemagglutinin can be inactivated by cooking beans for ten minutes atboiling point (100 °C, 212 °F). Insufficient cooking, such as in aslow cooker at 80 °C/176 °F, is insufficient to deactivate all toxins. To safely cook the beans, the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends boiling for 30 minutes to ensure they reach a sufficient temperature for long enough to destroy the toxin completely.[43] For dry beans, the FDA also recommends an initial soak of at least five hours in water, which should then be discarded.[7] Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with cooking kidney beans inslow cookers.[7]
The primarysymptoms of phytohaemagglutinin poisoning are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Onset is from one to three hours after consumption of improperly prepared beans, and symptoms typically resolve within a few hours.[7] Consumption of as few as four or five raw, soaked kidney beans can cause symptoms.[7] Canned red kidney beans are safe to use immediately, as they have already been cooked.[44][45][46]
Beans are high inpurines, which are metabolized touric acid. Uric acid is not a toxin but may promote the development or exacerbation ofgout. However, more recent research has questioned this association, finding that moderate intake of purine-rich foods is not associated with an increased risk of gout.[47]
Raw green beans are 90% water, 7%carbohydrates, and 1%protein and contain negligiblefat. In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), raw green beans supply about 36calories and are a rich source (20% or more of the USDaily Value, DV) ofvitamin K (41% DV) and a moderate source (10–19% DV) ofvitamin C,vitamin B6, andmanganese.
Dry white common beans, after boiling, are 63% water, 25% carbohydrates, and 10% protein and contain little fat. In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), boiled white common beans supply about 139 calories and are a rich source offolate and manganese, with moderate amounts ofthiamine and several dietaryminerals.
Dry beans will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but as time passes, theirnutritive value andflavor degrade, and cooking times lengthen. Dried beans are almost always cooked byboiling, often after being soaked in water for several hours. While the soaking is not strictly necessary, it shortens cooking time and results in more evenly textured beans. In addition, soaking beans removes 5 to 10% of the gas-producing sugars that can causeflatulence for some people.[50] The methods include simple overnight soaking and thepower-soak method, in which beans are boiled for three minutes and then set aside for 2–4 hours. Before cooking, the soaking water is drained off and discarded. Dry common beans take longer to cook than mostpulses: Cooking times vary from one to four hours but are substantially reduced withpressure cooking.
In Mexico, Central America, and South America, the traditional spice used with beans isepazote, which is also said to aid digestion. In East Asia, a type of seaweed,kombu, is added to beans as they cook for the same purpose. Salt, sugar, and acidic foods such as tomatoes may harden uncooked beans, resulting in seasoned beans at the expense of slightly longer cooking times.[citation needed]
The three commonly known types of green beans are string, or snap, beans, which may be round or have a flat pod; stringless or French beans, which lack a tough, fibrous string running along the length of the pod; and runner beans, which belong to a separate species,Phaseolus coccineus. Green beans may have a purple rather than green pod, which changes to green when cooked.[51] Wax beans areP. vulgaris beans that have a yellow[4] or white pod. Wax bean cultivars are commonly grown;[4] the plants are often of the bush, or dwarf, form.[4]
As the name implies, snap beans break easily when the pod is bent, giving off a distinct audible snapping sound. The pods of snap beans (green, yellow, and purple) are harvested when they are rapidly growing, fleshy, tender (not tough and stringy), and bright in color, and the seeds are small and underdeveloped (8 to 10 days after flowering).
Shell, shelled, or shelling beans are beans removed from their pods before being cooked or dried. Common beans can be used as shell beans, but the term also refers to other species of beans whose pods are not typically eaten, such aslima beans,soybeans,peas, andfava beans. Fresh shell beans are nutritionally similar to dry beans but are prepared more like vegetables, often steamed, fried, or made into soups.[citation needed]
Thenuña is an Andean subspecies,P. v. subsp.nunas (formerlyP. vulgaris Nuñas group), with round, multicolored seeds that resemble pigeon eggs. When cooked on high heat, the bean explodes, exposing the inner part in the manner ofpopcorn and otherpuffed grains.
Bean leaves have been used to trapbedbugs in houses.[52] Microscopic hairs (trichomes) on the bean leaves entrap the insects.[52]
Beans have been used as devices in various methods ofdivination since ancient times. Fortune-telling using beans is calledfavomancy.
P. vulgaris has been found to bio-accumulatezinc,manganese, andiron and have some tolerance to their respective toxicities, suggesting suitability for natural bio-remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soils.[53][non-primary source needed]
In 1528, PopeClemente VII received some white beans, which thrived. Five years later, he gave a bag of beans as a present to his niece,Catherine, on her wedding toPrince Henri of France, along with the county of theLauragais, whose county town isCastelnaudary, now synonymous with the white bean dish ofcassoulet.[18]
^Sturtevant, E. L (1887)."History of Garden Vegetables".The American Naturalist.21 (4):321–333.Bibcode:1887ANat...21..321S.doi:10.1086/274456. Retrieved2 December 2023.p.328: Albertus Magnus, who lived in the thirteenth century, used the word faselus as denoting a specific plant, as "faba et faseolus et pisa et alia genera leguminis," "cicer, faba, faseolus."
^Sturtevant, E. L (1887)."History of Garden Vegetables".The American Naturalist.21 (4):321–333.Bibcode:1887ANat...21..321S.doi:10.1086/274456. Retrieved2 December 2023.p.328: He [Albertus Magnus] also says, " Et sunt faseoli multorum colorum, sed quodlibet granorum habet maculam nigramin loco cotyledonis."
^Harper, D. (n.d.)."Etymology of bean". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved2 December 2023.
^"Jacob's Cattle Bean".Slow Food USA.org. 2 April 2020. Retrieved17 April 2023.Slow Food USA tends the Ark of Taste catalog, a repository of critically important but increasinglycritically important but increasingly endangered food sources.
^Sando, Steve; Barrington, Vanessa (2008).Heirloom Beans (1 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. p. 17.ISBN978-0-8118-6069-7.
^Yonan, Joe (2020).Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein (3 ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. p. 217.ISBN978-0-399-58149-6.
^"Bad Bug Book (2012)"(PDF).Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Phytohaemagglutinin. Food and Drug Administration. 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on April 18, 2013. Retrieved26 December 2013.Consumers should boil the beans for at least 30 minutes to ensure that the product reaches sufficient temperature
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