You may be a fan of beans and include them in many of your meals or you may not. It all depends on how diverse of eating habits you have. Even if you consider yourself someone who knows beans, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of or tried every bean available.
Here are five you may not know existed until now:
- Adzuki. Small and reddish in appearance, this bean is popular in Japan. It’s used to create confections in Asian cuisine. In the United States, it’s often used to make bean burgers and flavor soups, salads, and side dishes.
- Cranberry. Small and ivory colored, this unique bean has red markings on it that disappear while cooking. It’s primarily used in northern Italy, Spain, and Portugal where it is known for its nutty flavor. A cranberry bean pizza is something you might want to try.
- Flageolet. This French bean has inedible pods but delicious creamy white to pale green seeds that are a variety of haricot bean. Use Flageolet in soups or stews, cold on salads or braised and served as a side dish.
- Scarlet Runner Bean. Red-streaked beige colored seeds with purple and black markings that is more flavorful than the snap bean. This bean tastes great in soups and mixed bean salads both warm and cold.
- Winged Bean. Green, purple, and reddish pods that are edible. It tastes similar to a cranberry bean and the seeds can be steamed, roasted or dried and eaten.
Beans are packed with protein and fiber, two things that many people lack in their diets. Knowing which foods provide the most bang nutritionally helps you make better decisions while shopping for, preparing, and eating meals. Including beans in your diet helps get you the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to operate optimally.
The INRFOOD Tracker app provides detailed information about the nutritional value of the foods you eat. If you haven’t yet checked it out, download it for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. Use it to find out which new foods you’ve discovered are the healthiest to eat.