Tag: legumes

Playing Favarites

Why would a dip called “fava” not be made from fava beans? Language is a funny thing, especially when trying to transpose a different one with your own. Quite simply, the Greek word fava refers to what we know as yellow split peas in English. If you wanted the broad, flat legumes instead, those would be koukia; another beloved staple across the Greek islands.

Peas and Thank You

After my initial confusion, the attraction was immediate. Yellow split peas have long been a favorite for cozy soups and stews, and I’m certainly no stranger to creamy bean dips the world over. Continuing life without a suitable recipe under my belt was unthinkable.

Certified Inauthentic

Don’t call the authenticity police on me. I’m well aware that this is far from a “legitimate” fava dip, as the genuine legumes are highly regulated to maintain their distinctive terroir. As a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) food, only yellow split peas that are grow in Santorini can legally be labeled as such. I’ve heard tales that Santorini fava are sweeter and have a smoother texture than other split peas thanks to the mineral-rich volcanic soil of the island, though I’m not fortunate enough to personally confirm nor deny such a statement. I can promise you, however, than regular old, unprestigious split peas make a damn fine dip. You could really rock the boat and use green split peas, too. Just don’t blame me if officials find out and you’re banned from entering Greece at a later date.

Split Decision

Maybe the golden color is playing tricks on my mind, but I swear each velvety dollop, dip, and spoonful has an almost buttery finish. Topping with capers and diced red onion is essential to create the perfect bite, lending a briny, salt, and sharp highlight to what might otherwise fall a little flat. Wrapped in soft, warm pita bread or scooped up with crisp veggies, even this large batch will go fast. It could definitely give the average hummus a run for its money.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

Like A Moth To The Flame

Like a moth to the flame, I’m inexorably drawn to foods that elicit more questions than answers at first blush, for better or for worse. Moths, though a vital part of our natural ecosystem, are typically not associated with culinary greatness. That’s why the name “moth beans” immediately gave me pause, and soon after landed in my cart.

Fear not: these little legumes have absolutely nothing to do with dusty winged insects. Vigna aconitifolia, also known as matki, mat beans, or dew beans, are named for the lobed shape of their leaves when growing, which supposedly resemble a moth’s silhouette. I’d say that’s a real stretch of the imagination, but maybe my creativity is merely lacking. No matter how you look at it, moth beans have already proven themselves as far more than just a taxonomic curiosity.

What Are Moth Beans?

Native to the hot, arid regions of South Asia, specifically India and Pakistan, they have been a staple food for centuries. Because they can grow in sandy, bone-dry soil where other crops would wither, it’s there that they earned the nickname “dew beans,” seeming to subsist on nothing more than the morning mist. Preventing erosion by locking in what scant moisture remains in the soil, they’re vital for maintaining productive land in difficult climates.

What prevents moth beans from becoming more widespread across the globe is the difficulty of harvesting them. Laboriously cut by hand with a sickle, current mowers aren’t built for their unique shape and size, so they remain out of reach for industrial production.

What Do Moth Beans Taste Like?

If you’re familiar with green lentils or mung beans, you’ve already gotten a taste of what to expect from moth beans. Deeply earthy and nutty, with a savory undertone that hints at mushroom-like umami, there’s a faint sweetness on the back end, making them much more complex than your standard kidney or navy bean.

Even when fully cooked, they maintain a distinct, slightly firm bite between your teeth. They refuse to turn into mush unless you go out of your way to intentionally overcook them, making them ideal for salads, soups, stews, and most traditionally, curries.

Moth Bean Nutrition: Tiny But Mighty

Don’t let their diminutive size fool you. In the world of plant-based protein, moth beans are heavy hitters. Incredibly protein-dense, to the tune of roughly 23 grams of protein per 100 grams of dry beans, they make a compelling case for doing away with meat. They are an excellent source of zinc, which is great for the immune system, and iron for keeping energy levels high. Like most legumes, they are packed with dietary fiber, which keeps things moving smoothly and keeps you feeling full longer.

Soak, Sprout, or Simmer: Cooking Moth Beans

Sold both whole and split, the moth bean offers two distinct paths toward enjoyment. Whole moth beans necessarily take longer, they have more structural integrity, and have the added benefit of being sproutable. Sprouted moth beans have been especially crucial for those who may not have easy access to fresh vegetables, since the dried beans are shelf stable for months, if not years, and erupt with little white tails in 1 – 2 days.

  • To sprout whole moth beans, soak them overnight, drain, and keep them in a damp cloth or sprout jar for 24 – 48 hours. Once those tiny white tails appear, they can be eaten raw in salads, stir-fried, or steamed for just a few minutes.
  • To cook whole moth beans, while not strictly necessary, soaking them for 4 – 6 hours reduces cooking time and improves digestibility. On the stove top, simmer in plenty of water (about a 3:1 ratio) for 20 – 30 minutes until tender but firm. In a pressure cooker, cook on high for 10 minutes and quick release the pressure. Let stand in unsealed pressure cooker for another 10 minutes, then drain.
  • To cook split moth beans, simply rinse them under cool water and simmer on the stove top for 15 – 20 minutes. The ratio shifts slightly because they act more like red lentils, absorbing water as they break down into a soft, porridge-like consistency. Use a 2:1 or 3:1 water-to-bean ratio, depending on how thick you want the final result.

Traditional Moth Bean Dishes

In India, moth beans need no introduction. They’re the backbone of some of the most iconic comfort foods, including:

  • Matki Chi Usal: A spicy, sprouted bean stir fry tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a generous amount of goda masala.
  • Misal Pav: Perhaps the most famous use, this is a spicy sprout curry topped with farsan (crunchy snack mix), onions, and lime, served with buttery rolls.
  • Moth Dal: A simple, comforting stew tempered with cumin, ginger, and green chilies.
  • Moth Kachori: Tucked away inside flaky, fried pastries, the beans are seasoned and mashed into a coarse paste, providing a hearty, savory center that balances the buttery crunch of the crust.

Having a Ball with Moth Beans

While I’ll always carry a torch for the classics, I can’t keep away from a good pun, especially if it leads to even better food. I’ve never once in my life used moth balls, but I had to try my hands at making them from scratch… That is, moth bean meatballs.

If the name turns heads and grabs your attention, then that’s the point. How enticing does a “bean ball” sound in the first place? Might as well play up the weird and wonderful branding nature already provided. Rest assured, these savory spheres won’t make your kitchen smell like a nursing home. Instead, these vegan meatballs capitalize on that signature nutty umami, accentuated by sun-dried tomatoes and nutritional yeast. Seared, baked, or air fried, they’re sturdy enough to withstand a wave of marinara without dissolving into an accidental, extra-chunky ragu.

Fly Straight to Moth Beans

They may take a bit more effort to source in the US than the usual garbanzo, pinto, or kidney bean, which only adds to the appeal, if you ask me. Moth beans are special, to be celebrated and respected. Even without such an arresting name in English, moth beans warrant your attention, and intrigue. Give them a chance; your first taste of moth beans may just make your heart flutter.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Pea’s A Crowd

Staring down the bag labeled blandly as “field peas,” culled from the brightly lit grocery store shelf, I knew there was more to the story. Encompassing dozens of different legumes, field peas are a catch-all term for any Southern bean grown amongst the crops, as opposed to the home garden. That means you could grab a package of so-called field peas and find black-eye peas, lady peas, cream peas, purple hull peas, or zipper peas staring back at you, all under the same label.

This particular bundle was different though, which is why it caught my eye. Tiny as grains of uncooked brown rice, unlike any bean I had cooked before, I decided to buy first, ask questions later. Only after exhaustive research could I give my new prize a more accurate name: Crowder Peas.

What Exactly Are Crowder Peas?

As part of the field pea family, also known as cowpeas or Southern peas, crowder peas hail from Africa, brought to the US along with enslaved peoples. Through their skilled hands, agriculture thrived, using these heirloom beans to add nitrogen to the soil, enduring through extreme heat and drought alike.

Crowder peas come by their name quite literally, each pod being “crowded” with many peas as they grow. There are many varieties of crowder peas, too, including Mississippi Silver, Dixie Lee, Cream Peas, Zipper Peas, and more; some are rounded while others are fairly flat, varying from brown to white but shades may vary. If you’re looking for a single definitive example of the legume, you’re going to be disappointed. Harvested in the late summer, you’re unlikely to find them fresh, unless you live within a few miles of where they’re grown. More likely than not, you’ll find them dried year round, and occasionally canned.

Crowder Peas: Always In Good Taste

The mysterious crowder peas that I purchased reminded me visually of tiny tepary beans; dark, firm, and robust. They’re a bean-lover’s bean, loud and proud, earthy, starchy, sometimes nutty, and always savory. Where black-eyed peas can taste bright and grassy, crowders are deeper and more grounded. The rounder varieties may be a bit creamier, but all are built to withstand long stews and braises. That potlikker is a prize all by itself, slightly thickened and dark as red wine. Traditionally seasoned with a simple array of onions, garlic, paprika, and often ham, you’d be crazy to think about draining it away.

Crowder Pea Nutrition? Bean There, Done That

Between you and me, I wish we could skip the section on nutrition for these bean deep-dives because they’re all starting to read the same. Unsurprisingly, they’re high in protein and fiber, B vitamins, folate, magnesium, and iron. Spoiler alert: there is no such thing as an unhealthy legume. Next!

Cooking Crowder Peas

Dried crowder peas are a pantry gift, especially in cooler months when fresh produce feels scarce. Soaking them for several hours, or overnight, shortens the cooking time and encourages even tenderness, though it’s not strictly required.

  • Stove Top: If soaked in advance, crowder peas take about 1 – 1 1/2 hours to cook, covered by at least 1 inch of water and gently simmered. Check on the water level and add more if too much evaporates during the process. If unsoaked, it can take closer to 2 hours on the heat.
  • Pressure Cooker: This is my method of choice because it requires no soaking and is still done in less time. Cover crowder peas with at least 2 inches of water and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

Only after cooking should you add salt. Drain or enjoy along with the potlikker, as is most traditional. Note that those who sometimes have trouble digesting beans would be better served to drain the liquid, which contains a considerable amount of the oligosaccharides (raffinose and stachyose) responsible.

Crowd-Sourcing Serving Suggestions

Crowder peas would be out of place on a complex plate. They’re at their best when seasoned simply, nestled besides humble staples like stewed greens, rice, mashed potatoes, cornbread, or even plain old buttered white bread. Made for big pots, long simmers, and recipes designed to stretch across days, they’re deeply rooted in Southern culture, especially in rural and agricultural communities where field peas were a staple crop. A few traditional uses include:

  • Field Peas & Snaps: Contrary to the modern interpretation that employs green beans, “snaps” refers to the whole pea pods that are too tender to shell, simply snapped in half and cooked together with the peas.
  • Hoppin’ John: While black-eyed peas have become the favored bean for this fortuitous dish, older recipes made no qualms about using whatever field pea was at your disposal. The beans are meant to represent coins, paired with the greens for money, coalescing into a blessing for wealth in the New Year. That wouldn’t change whether your beans had black eyes or not.
  • Chilled Summer Salad: Be it a picnic or potluck, the humble crowder pea will serve you well. Since they hold their shape after cooking, they’re prime candidates for the salad treatment, often tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and more.

For more inspiration, look to the ever-popular black-eyed pea. It’s the most common field pea on the market, leading to a great wealth of recipe ideas. From soup and chili to more modern veggie burgers, meatless loaves, and stuffed peppers, there’s almost no preparation that wouldn’t welcome a swap. Crowder peas can step in seamlessly, bringing a slightly creamier texture and deeper, earthier flavor to the same familiar formats.

Playing the Field

Given that I don’t have access to fresh crowder peas and can only dream of snapping their delicate little pods in two, I did have to resort to using garden-variety green beans to make my own version of field peas and snaps. On the bright side, this approach is much less labor-intensive, since you can buy bags of cut green beans ready to go. Since we’re not prisoners of tradition here, I have no qualms swapping out the conventional bacon or ham hock for the one-two punch of mushrooms and liquid smoke. Meat was always meant to be the seasoning, not the focal point, in any event.

Between the onions and garlic, you’ve got a classic starter pack for “what smell’s so good in here?” before the umami mushrooms even enter the picture. The crowder peas, ever reliable, stay creamy at the center yet intact, thickening the broth ever so slightly as they simmer. Served with liquid and all, nothing goes to waste, especially the leftovers.


Join The Crowd

Crowder peas may not have the name recognition of their fellow field pea cousins, but that only means there’s more room on the table for discovery. Sturdy, soulful, and reliably versatile, they’re equally at home in a Southern stew or a weeknight plant meat remix. If anything, their underdog status works in your favor; they arrive without expectations and leave with converts. Next time you see that vague little bag labeled “field peas,” don’t walk past it. There’s a whole new crowd worth getting to know.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)9 Comments

Cran You Dig It?

Cranberry beans are a confounding lot. Some of them fulfill their titled promise as gleaming crimson, magenta, and maroon-speckled ovoids, bearing a rough resemblance to the fruits of their namesake. Most, however, deviate from that path, appearing in spotty shades of tan, off-white, and even black.

As one may guess, with such a diverse family tree, this worldly bush bean is hard to sum up in a concise little bio. Better known to the Italians as borlotti beans and to Colombians as cargamanto beans, this American native is one worth knowing in any language.

The Un-cranny Origins of Cranberry Beans

Said to have originated in South and Central America, the earliest written records come from Spanish explorers in the 15th century, transporting their culinary discoveries to Europe. Gardeners can’t even agree if these Phaseolus vulgaris are bush beans, pole beans, both, or neither. Regardless, their most striking characteristic isn’t the actual edible bean, but the vibrantly streaked pink and red pods, only seen if you’re so fortunate to find them fresh. Start searching your local farmers markets from late summer through early fall for a real savory treat. Shelling them is a meditative joy, and their flavor is unmatched.

What Do Cranberry Beans Taste Like?

Dried cranberry beans, of course, are most common and available all year round. Frequently compared to (and sadly substituted with) pinto beans, it’s a grave disservice to sell them so far short. Though they’re both about the same size, shape, and (sometimes) color, pinto beans will puree themselves if you look at them too hard. Cranberry beans stand firm, without being mealy, bearing a toothsome yet creamy, meaty texture that makes it a popular addition to soups and stews. Their mildly nutty, almost chestnut-like flavor plays well with others, whether kept very lightly seasoned or paired with more potent players.

Traditional Dishes Around the World

Given their extensive history spanning many countries, cranberry beans are associated with a number of beloved traditional dishes.

  • Italy: Pasta e Fagioli & Minestrone
    In Italian kitchens, cranberry beans are often the star of pasta e fagioli, a rustic soup of beans and pasta, simmered with garlic, rosemary, and olive oil. They also frequently make an appearance in minestrone, adding body and protein to the vegetable-rich broth.
  • Portugal: Feijão à Portuguesa
    This traditional Portuguese dish features cranberry beans stewed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and sometimes chouriço (smoked sausage). It’s served with rice or crusty bread.
  • Brazil: Feijão Tropeiro
    Though typically made with black beans, regional variations use cranberry beans sautéed with cassava flour, greens, and spices. It’s a dish born from the resourcefulness of traveling merchants and remains a comfort food classic.
  • United States: Three Sisters
    Native Americans passed on their wisdom of bringing together the essential combination of corn, beans, and squash. The cranberry bean helps fix nitrogen and add nutrients that replenish the soil, making it a beneficial addition for both the planet and the planters.

In today’s global kitchen, the sky’s the limit. They’re fantastic tossed into salads, blended into veggie burgers, made into meatless loaves and balls, and pureed as creamy bean dip.

How To Cook Cranberry Beans

Like any larger legume, cranberry beans can benefit from an overnight soak. They’ll cook faster when they hit the heat and be more digestible in the long run. Drain the soaking water and cook in six to eight times as much fresh water by volume.

  • Stove top: Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 1 hour, adding more water if too much evaporates; they should always remain submerged.
  • Pressure cooker: Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then allow for a natural release.
  • Slow cooker: Add enough water to cover the beans by at least an inch, cover, and cook on low for 10 – 12 hours.

Drain well and enjoy hot, or let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Fresh cranberry beans are a whole different ball park. Once shelled, they only need to be simmered with enough water to barely cover for about 10 minutes. Then, you can sauté them with garlic, toss them into salads, and so much more.

Nutrition in Every Nook and Cranny

Beans are the undisputed nutritional champions of the world, bearing volumes of affordable plant protein and fiber in every serving. Cranberry beans are no different, with the added benefit of being notably high in B-vitamins, folate, zinc, manganese copper, calcium, and potassium. Especially high in antioxidants thanks to their trademark coloring, they’re a smart choice for overall health and well being.

When all is said and done, cranberry beans have nothing to do with their fruity namesake. They don’t look like cranberries. They don’t taste like cranberries. They don’t bounce or float like cranberries. The only explanation for their name is that some person with some misappropriated authority had a far more imaginative interpretation of the legume than warranted. The only parallel that can be drawn is that they’re sort of, sometimes, vaguely, red.

Thankfully, none of that matters once you’ve tasted them. Whatever the name, these heirloom beans are at the top of their class. Names may mislead, colors may fade, but such singular texture and unmistakable flavor endures through generations for a reason.

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Your Life or Your Lupins

Soybeans get all the fame and glory as the premiere meatless protein, but what if I told you there was another bean that could steal the spotlight with ease? Lupini beans are the dark horse rivals, vying for legume supremacy, almost doubling the protein content of whole soybeans. Think that soy foods are unique, chalking up tofu, soymilk, tempeh, and more as a clear soybean success story? Just wait until you see what the humble lupin can do.

The Lupin Spin

First, the confusion of naming needs to be addressed. “Lupini” is the Italian plural form referring to the seeds of the lupin plant. Lupine and lupin are both common names for the same flowering plant genus, Lupinus. The genus is part of the legume family, which also includes peanuts. There are over 200 species of lupine, though not all are edible. Some, like the beloved Texas bluebonnet, are actually poisonous. Don’t go digging up your garden in search of a feast, and on that note, be careful to keep them away from curious pets, who are more susceptible to the measured dose of poison in an unsuspecting seed.

Lupini Through History

Lupini beans are just starting to get their big break, but they’ve been around as a reliable food source since roughly 3000 BCE. Hailing from the Mediterranean and the Near East, evidence shows that the ancient the Egyptians and Romans knew the value of a good lupin when they saw it. During the Middle Ages, lupins were grown in Europe not only as a food source but also as a nitrogen-fixing crop to improve soil quality. They were commonly planted as part of crop rotations to enhance soil fertility. In the modern era, lupins have been gaining attention as a sustainable, high-protein legume now that the sweet lupin has been selectively bred for better taste and ease of consumption. Early lupins were often relegated to animal feed given their bitter nature, which also explains their slow start on the mainstream market.

The Cooking Conundrum

The biggest barrier to entry, aside from sourcing the beans to begin with, is cooking them. Even the newer “sweet” strain requires a concerted effort when it comes to cooking, in an attempt to remove more of the bitter alkaloids and break down almost impenetrably tough skins. This is also why you’ll often find them pickled, not dry or canned. Pickled lupini beans are ready to eat and infused with salty, savory flavor. The most popular brand in health food stores packages theirs in pouches; old school labels sell glass jars, found in the import section in specialty or gourmet stores.

Although you can of course buy dried lupini beans, I don’t recommend it. To beat them into submission, or some version of edibility, you would need to:

  1. Cover with cold water and soak for 24 hours.
  2. Drain, add fresh water, and simmer for 2 hours.
  3. Cool completely, drain, and add more cold water.
  4. Soak overnight. Drain and replace the water.
  5. Boil for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Drain and replace the water.
  6. Soak overnight. Drain and replace the water.
  7. Boil for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Drain and replace the water.
  8. Soak overnight. Drain and replace the water.
  9. Taste for doneness. If still bitter or gritty, repeat the boiling process.
  10. Add salt and store submerged in water, like pickles.

If you’re willing to sacrifice roughly a week of your life to this process, be my guest. You’re far more patient than me.

What Do Lupini Beans Taste Like?

I thought you’d never ask! Sweet lupins are poised to be the new edamame; large and flat as fava beans or gigante beans, yellowish tan in color, and encased in a substantial but edible skin, you can peel them or eat them as is. Mild in flavor and firm in texture, they’re an ideal bar snack served either hot or cold, and especially with a salty finish. Aside from eating them out of hand, they’re excellent tossed in salads and simmered in soups, since they won’t fall apart for anything.

Beyond The Whole Bean

Consider lupini beans for further applications beyond immediate eating gratification, and that’s where things get interesting.

  • Lupin flour holds incredible promise as a gluten-free, keto, high-protein staple, capable of creating highly nutritious pastas, cakes, cookies, breads, and more. Blended with water and seasonings, it could become a liquid egg substitute, too.
  • Lupin “rice” is an alternative to the conventional whole grain, made more like an orzo pasta for quick cooking applications.
  • Ground lupin or lupin flakes are a coarser take on flour, approximating the texture of grits or savory oatmeal when cooked.
  • Lupin milk, though rare in US markets, is taking off primarily in Europe, noted for its excellent frothing abilities in lattes, thanks to its naturally high protein content.
  • Lupin cheese is every bit as varied and versatile as the average nut cheese, ranging in texture and flavor from creamy ricotta to sliceable, buttery Havarti.
  • Lupin tempeh isn’t a stretch of the imitation, as any bean can be tempeh-fied.
  • Lupin tofu is similarly successful as a soy-free alternative, more aligned with Burmese “chickpea tofu” in preparation rather than the traditional coagulated soymilk approach.

Where Do You Get Your Protein

Okay, let’s get the protein talk out of the way. One cup of cooked lupini beans does in fact have 26 – 30 grams of complete protein, including all 9 essential amino acids. Incredibly high in fiber, they’re the only bean that has 0 grams net carbs per serving. Additionally, they’re a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, folate, and vitamin A.

However, there is one big nutritional red flag about lupini beans that I briefly mentioned earlier. Being part of the peanut family, those with severe peanut allergies may have similar sensitivities when exposed to lupins of any variety. If that’s the case, avoid lupins and any lupin products to be safe.

From Unknown to Unforgettable

Lupini beans have lost their harsh edge and are ready for their closeup. To get the most bang for your bean buck with a protein-packed legume, look no further. They’re versatile enough to transform from a quick fix snack to your new secret ingredient in all things baked and cooked. I think they’re the next big thing in bean technology, personally, and I’m here for it.

Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Me Oh, My Oh, Mayocoba

How can one consider beans as “food for the poor” when they’re rich in so many ways? Rich in history, rich in flavor, rich in nutrition; the only thing that cheapens them is this pervasive stigma. The only reason why Mayocoba beans haven’t blown up as the next big food trend is there’s no marketing budget for beans. Just as well, I say, because they’re more than just a flash in the pan, but an enduring staple that will long outlive TikTok and likely social media itself. They’ve already survived well over 4,000 years of tumultuous climates, both physical and political, and they’re just getting started.

A Brief History of an Ancient Bean

Indigenous to Latin America, Mayocoba beans feature prominently in Mexican and Peruvian culture. Depending on who you ask, they may also go by the names of canary (Canario) beans, yellow beans, or Peruvian (Peruano or Frijol de Peru) beans. Though strongly linked to Peruvian foodways as a reliable source of sustenance for inhabitants of the Andes, where agriculture struggles to thrive and crop yields are relatively poor, the word “Mayocoba” comes from small town in Mexico. The two countries seem to share the legumes, and their heritage, abundantly.

Patently Incorrect

Though this is a bean untroubled by passing fads, it’s not immune to controversy. In 2005, one Larry Proctor of Pod-ners L.L.C. attempted to patent the time-honored Mayocoba, claiming that the bean he called “Enola,” after his wife’s middle name, was a wholly unique specimen. Unsurprisingly and rightly so, this sparked outrage in both the agricultural and cultural communities. Critics argued that the bean, like many other heirloom crops, had long been part of indigenous and local food systems for millennia, and should never be subjected to patenting by any one entity. The idea that a traditional, widely cultivated crop could be claimed by a corporation highlighted an ongoing issue with intellectual property laws and their impact on indigenous farming communities. Fortunately, the patent application was eventually withdrawn, but the controversy raised important questions about who truly owns our food history and who gets to profit from it.

Appearance and Tasting Notes

Ranging from pale yellow to off-white, they’re not nearly as vibrant as the bird of their namesake, but shine on the plate all the same. That flaxen hue recedes further when cooked, resulting in a pot of mostly beige beans. Don’t judge a bean by its color though; these unassuming kernels are remarkably buttery and almost sweet, though fairly mild to absorb any seasonings you can throw at them. Their texture is what really makes them special: thin-skinned yet still robust enough to hold their own, Mayocoba beans are soft and creamy all the way through. You won’t get a hint of grit or graininess whether they’re kept whole or pureed.

Nutritional Prowess

Big shocker here: Mayocoba beans are healthy! Yes, just like every other legume, they’re an excellent source of complete plant protein, to the tune of 7 – 8 grams per 1/2 cup (cooked) serving. They have a similarly impressive amount of fiber, but more noteworthy is they have fewer of the gas-causing sugars that make beans difficult for some people to digest. You’ll find no such discomfort with these trusty beans. Iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and folate are key nutrients found in abundance, essential as part of a balanced diet.

How To Cook Mayocoba Beans

I’ve heard tales of canned Mayocoba beans but have never seen them in real life. Dried is definitely the way to go, since they’re most affordable and keep almost indefinitely. As with all beans, it’s best to check for stones or other less tasty inclusions before giving them a good rinse. From there, you have many different methods to make a hill of means.

  • Pressure Cooker: Add at least 3 times as much water to beans, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for about 25 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally.
  • Stove Top: Cover the beans with at least 2 inches of water in a large pot and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, occasionally checking the water level and adding more as needed.
  • Slow Cooker: Use 4 – 6 times as much water as beans. Cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or high for 3 – 4 hours, adding more liquid if needed, until tender.

Culinary Creations

Mayocoba beans are now my automatic swap-in whenever I see a recipe for pinto beans. Maybe this is unfair to the hardworking pinto, but they can’t match the velvety texture of a golden canary bean. Others suggest that they’re excellent substitutes for cannellini and great northern beans. If you want more specific ideas for featuring the Mayocoba in all its glory, consider the following traditional dishes:

  • Refried beans, which needn’t even be fried once, really highlight the Mayocoba’s velvety texture. Similarly, consider trying Mayocoba hummus for a next-level bean dip.
  • Tacu-tacu, a patty made from seasoned mashed beans and rice that’s pan-fried until crispy, is an excellent way to use leftovers.
  • Sopa de Frijoles, aka bean soup, will never let you down. There are no hard and fast rules here; make yours a stew or chili, brothy or blended, basic or bounteous. These beans can do it all.
  • Ceviche de Frijoles, replacing fish with beans, makes a breezy salsa sound like a luxury. You could even serve it on a bed of greens and call it a salad, be it an entree or a side.

From Farm to Fortune

I’d like to propose that beans become the new status symbol. Do you cook your beans from dried? Do you seek out new and exciting beans, beyond the realm of the pinto, the kidney, and the black bean? It’s the inclusive club that everyone should join, with an entree fee that even bean counters can justify. Grab a bag of Mayocoba beans and you’re already in. Get cooking and share the wealth!

Hannah (BitterSweet)15 Comments