Beans
Scientific Name: Phaseolus
Family: Leguminosae
Sub-family: Papilionoideae
The Kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is without doubt the best known, most useful and appreciated species within the genus. A great number of varieties or cultivars which have been obtained either by selection or cross-breeding belong to this species. From a taxonomic viewpoint the genus Phaseolus belongs to the Leguminosae and to the subfamily Papilionoideae or, according to some authorities, the the family Papilionaceae. It is noteworthy that while in 1860 only seven species of beans for a total of 180 cultivars were reported, at the beginning of the twentieth century the number of varieties, cultivars, or races mentioned had increased remarkably to 472. Today it would be almost impossible to draw a complete list of them all as fashion continually eliminates some old cultivars while imposing new ones. There is also a tendency to give different, more personal names to products which are in effect almost the same. Commercially, beans can be divided primarily into shell beans and pod beans. The latter are marketed and consumed primarily when still unripe and are known as green or string beans. Shell beans, looked at culturally and commercially, are divided into two principal categories: dwarf beans, low, not needing supports, and climbing (pole) beans which require supports in the form of then poles. For a long time botanists and agronomists mistakenly considered the beans as native to India, but by the end of the nineteenth century, exhaustive studies by the botanists Asa Gray, Trumbull, and Bonnet, proved that the common bean originated in America. Although some Latin authors, including Virgil and Columella, have written about Phaseolus and Phaselus, this does not prove that beans were known in ancient times. It is now believed that those terms indicated other leguminous plants ascribed now to the genus Dolichos (Hyacinth bean). Paleoethnological and ethnographical researches have ascertained the existence of the bean in the American continent before its discovery by Europeans. The bean, another gift from the New World, thus appeared in Europe at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was first described and illustrated in 1542 by the botanists, Tragus and Fuchs. The French term haricot became part of the language in 1640, but a few decades earlier (1572) in England, the bean was already called French bean, thus emphasizing its introduction from France. Linnaeus recognized two different species, the common bean, which is a climber (Phaseolus vulgaris), and the dwarf bean (Phaseolus nanus). At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Italian botanist Pietro Savi subdivided the Linnaean classification into eight species, for the most part the same as those identified by the great botanist, De Candolle (1806 - 1893). More recently, in the early twenties, Fiore recognized within the great Linnaean species five varieties of climbing beans and one dwarf (without distinguishing between their commercial characteristics, that is, whether they were shell or green beans). It seems difficult to attribute the forms cultivated now to these varieties, especially in consideration of the continuous changes. For cooking purposes, shell beans can be used both fresh and dried. For better results the drying process should take place on the plant, instead of the fresh beans being picked and dried in the sun. Before cooking, dry beans should be immersed in salted, tepid water. Early in the season 2 - 3 hours is long enough to soak haricots. Later on 3 - 5 hours may be necessary. It is commonly believed that beans should be soaked all night, but this is not only unnecessary, it can also be dangerous as they may start to ferment and become slightly poisonous. If, for any reason, the beans have to be left for a longer period, the water should be changed about halfway through the soaking process. Beans can be prepared in many different ways, from soups (with rice, pasta, and other vegetables) to stewed or baked beans such as France's famous cassoulet cooked with pieces of goose, pork and lamb, to salads. Dietetically, shell beans have high nutritive value, as proved by the following data: upon analysis, dry beans of various cultivars show 23 - 24% protein, 48% carbohydrates, 2 - 3% lipids, 3 - 4% ash. They also have a high calorific content, about 300 calories per 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams), which has earned them the name "poor man's meat." The high carbohydrate content, however, makes them almost useless for people with weight problems. One of the disturbances caused by their consumption is a troublesome form of flatulence, possibly because of over-soaking. The cellulose content of the bean coat shows that the consumption of beans is indicated in cases of atonic constipation, while it is contraindicated in cases of spastic constipation. But for those whose work requires intense muscular activities and for those who do not have a weight problem, beans are a highly nutritious and tasty food. There is no botanical difference between green beans and shell beans. They differ only in the way they are used. The fresh vegetables known and consumed as green beans are simply the unripe pods of a normal bean plant. Green beans, like dry beans, are produced by both tall, climbing plants and low, dwarf plants. The color of the unripe pods can basically be either yellow or green. Many of the differences among the many cultivars are almost impossible to define, and concern characteristics like some of those found in ripe seeds, and which are not noticeable at the time of consumption. Among the yellow dwarf varieties: Brittle Wax, Goldencrop Wax, Surecrop Stringless Wax, Pencil Pod Wax, and Rustproof Golden Wax, and among the green dwarf varieties: Tenderpod, Bountiful, Topcrop, Tendergreen, Contender, King of Belgium, and Bush Romano make a long list because the number of cultivars named in various catalogs is very large indeed. Among the climbing yellow varieties particular mention should be made of Golden Pole, Kentucky Wonder Wax, and Burpee Golden, with ripe seeds of various colors and with curved hooklike pods. Among the climbing or pole beans with green pods, Kentucky Wonder, McCaslan and Romano Italian Pole, with fleshy, flat pods, have qualities similar to those of the yellow forms. There are also many cultivars of beans with cylindrical pods. One of the most desired qualities in green beans is the absence of strings, the tough and inedible fibrous formations along the sutures of the pods. Green beans can be used in soups, but their principal use is as a vegetable, boiled and served with butter, or in a salad dressed with garlic and tomato puree, or with oil and vinegar. When they are very young they can also be pickled. Chemically, the solid residue of green beans is much less than in shell beans; they are actually unripe pods. It is 7 - 8% instead of the 44 - 45% of fresh shell beans and the 87% of dry beans. The protein content is 2%, carbohydrates 2 - 3%, and the calorific value is 18 calories per 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams). [Bianchini, Francesco, Corbetta, Francesco, Pistoia, Marilena, The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables, United States Translation: Crown Publishers, New York, 1976; Originally published in Italy as I Frutti della Terra, Arnoldo Mondadori Publisher, Italy, 1973]