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- Beans would be planted around the base of the developing stalks, and would vine their way up as the stalks grew. All American beans at that time were vine plants, "bush beans" having only been bred more recently. The cornstalks would work as a trellis for the beans, and the beans would provide much-needed nitrogen for the corn.
- Squash would then be planted in the spaces between the patches of corn in the field. They would be provided slight shelter from the sun by the corn, and would deter many animals from attacking the corn and beans, because their coarse, hairy vines and broad, stiff leaves are difficult or uncomfortable for animals like deer and raccoons to walk through, crows to land on, et cetera.
Beans were an important alternative source of protein throughout old and new world history, and still are today. There are over 4,000 cultivars of bean on record in the United States, alone.
An interesting modern example of the diversity of bean use is 15 bean soup, which, as the name implies, contains literally fifteen different varieties of bean.
[edit] Types of beans
As illustrated by 15 bean soup, there is a great variety of beans types, including:
[edit] Cultural aspects
The following traditional uses of beans refer to the broad bean.
- In some folk legends, such as in Estonia and the common Jack and the Beanstalk story, magical beans grow tall enough to bring the hero to the clouds.
- The Grimm Brothers collected a story in which a bean splits its sides laughing at the failure of others.
- Dreaming of a bean is sometimes said to be a sign of impending conflict, though others said they caused bad dreams.[citation needed]
A bowl of tomatillos and beans in the pod
- Pliny the Elder claimed that beans act as a laxative. He may have been referring to the seeds of the castor oil plant, which contain oils used as laxatives in ancient India.
- European folklore claims that planting beans on Good Friday or during the night-time is good luck.
- "Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit" is a children's song about the flatulence often experienced after eating beans. The song is noteworthy for correctly identifying the bean as a fruit, not a vegetable.
- In Japanese, "mame" (?, ?? = "bean") may also mean something small. "Mame Chishiki" (???), a Japanese phrase, which literally means "bean knowledge" (not "knowledge of beans"), is used to indicate any random trivia or miscellaneous knowledge displayed. The Japanese name for the Japanese beetle is "mamekogane" (?????), meaning "small beetle".
- In New Orleans, serving a meal of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is thought to bring good luck in the upcoming year.
- In Malta, eating lentils on New Years day is said to bring good fortune in terms of money for the coming year
- In Nicaragua, newly weds are given a bowl of beans for good luck.
- In Aruba, boiled beans mixed with zinc phosphide are seen as a means of cheap Rodenticide.
[edit] Toxins
Some kinds of raw beans and especially red and kidney beans, contain a harmful toxin (the lectin Phytohaemagglutinin) that must be destroyed by cooking. A recommended method is to boil the beans for at least ten minutes; undercooked beans may be more toxic than raw beans.[1] Cooking beans in a slow cooker, because of the lower temperatures often used, may not destroy toxins even though the beans do not smell or taste 'bad'[2] (though this should not be a problem if the food reaches boiling and stays there for some time).
Fermentation is used in some parts of Africa to improve the nutritional value of beans by removing toxins. Inexpensive fermentation improves the nutritional impact of flour from dry beans and improves digestibility, according to research co-authored by Emire Shimelis, from the Food Engineering Program at Addis Ababa University. The study is published in the International Journal of Food Science & Technology. Beans are a major source of dietary protein in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. (Sub Saharan Africa page, Science and Development Network website)
[edit] Flatulence
Many edible beans, including broad beans and soybeans, contain oligosaccharides (particularly Raffinose and Stachyose), a type of sugar molecule also found in cabbage. An anti-oligosaccharide enzyme is necessary to properly digest these sugar molecules. As a normal human digestive tract does not contain any anti-oligosaccharide enzymes, consumed oligosaccharides are typically digested by bacteria in the large intestine. This digestion process produces flatulence-causing gases as a byproduct. This aspect of bean digestion is the basis for the children's rhyme "Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit."
Some species of mold produce alpha-galactosidase, an anti-oligosaccharide enzyme, which humans can take to facilitate digestion of oligosaccharides in the small intestine. This enzyme, currently sold in the U.S. under the brand-name Beano, can be added to food or consumed separately. In many cuisines beans are cooked along with natural carminatives such as anise seeds, coriander seeds and cumin.
Other strategies include soaking beans in water for several hours before mixing them with other ingredients to remove the offending sugars. Sometimes vinegar is added, but only after the beans are cooked as vinegar interferes with the beans' softening.
Fermented beans will not produce most of the intestinal problems that unfermented beans will, since bacteria can consume the offending sugars.
[edit] Production
Brazil Is world leader in production of Dry Bean followed by India and then China.
| Top Ten Dry Bean Producers — 2005 |
| Country |
Production (Int $1000) |
Footnote |
Production (MT) |
Footnote |
 Brazil |
1,340,094 |
C |
3,076,010 |
|
 India |
1,263,414 |
C |
2,900,000 |
F |
 People's Republic of China |
914,886 |
C |
2,108,500 |
* |
 Myanmar |
675,273 |
C |
1,550,000 |
F |
 Mexico |
609,994 |
C |
1,400,160 |
F |
 United States |
515,943 |
C |
1,184,280 |
|
 Uganda |
237,435 |
C |
545,000 |
F |
 Indonesia |
135,055 |
C |
310,000 |
F |
 North Korea |
135,055 |
C |
310,000 |
F |
 Kenya |
130,698 |
C |
300,000 |
F |
No symbol = official figure,F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure;
Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices
Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Devision
|
China Is world leader in production of Green Bean followed by Indonesia and then Turkey.
| Top Ten Green Bean Producers — 2005 |
| Country |
Production (Int $1000) |
Footnote |
Production (MT) |
Footnote |
| People's Republic of China |
1,030,780 |
C |
2,381,300 |
F |
| Indonesia |
364,063 |
C |
830,000 |
F |
 Turkey |
243,440 |
C |
555,000 |
|
| India |
184,225 |
C |
420,000 |
F |
 Spain |
105,315 |
C |
240,100 |
|
 Egypt |
94,305 |
C |
215,000 |
F |
 Italy |
87,882 |
C |
200,356 |
|
 Morocco |
43,863 |
C |
100,000 |
F |
 Belgium |
43,863 |
C |
100,000 |
F |
| United States |
42,617 |
C |
97,160 |
F |
No symbol = official figure,F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure;
Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices
Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Devision
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[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- , [url=http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap43.html Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook:Phytohaemagglutinin]. United States Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
- , Phytohaemagglutinin, US FDA's Bad Bug Book or Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook. Notes that toxicity may be five-fold greater if heated to 80 °C than if consumed raw.
[edit] External links
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