Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for human food or animal feed. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic In Biological classification, family ( Latin Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of Flowering plants which is commonly known as the legume family, pea

Although "beans" usually means the seeds of bean plants, it can also mean (especially in the US) the whole young pods of bean plants, which if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether cooked or raw. Thus the word "green beans" means "green" in the sense of unripe (many are in fact, not green in color), as the beans inside the pods of green beans are too small to comprise a significant part of the cooked fruit.

Contents 1 Terminology 2 History 3 Types of beans 4 Cultural aspects 5 Toxins 6 Flatulence 7 Production 8 See also 9 Notes and references 10 External links

Terminology

The term "bean" originally referred to the seed of the broad bean, but was later expanded to include members of the genus Phaseolus, such as the common bean and the runner bean, and the related genus Vigna. Vicia faba, the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of Phaseolus ( Bean, Wild Bean) is a Genus in the Family Fabaceae of about fifty Plant Species, The Genus Vigna is in the Plant family Fabaceae. The genus is named after Dominico Vigna an Italian Botanist The term is now applied in a general way to many other related plants such as soybeans, peas, lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas (garbanzos), vetches and lupins. A pea (inaccurately called a '''sweet pea''' by food distubutors is most commonly the small spherical Seed or the seed-pod of the Legume Pisum The lentil or daal or pulse ( Lens culinaris) is a bushy Annual plant of the legume family grown for its lens-shaped Seeds The chickpea ( Cicer arietinum) (also garbanzo bean, Indian pea, ceci bean, bengal gram, chana, kadale kaalu, Vicia ( Vetches) is a large genus of about 140 species of Flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the Genus Lupinus in the legume family

"Bean" can be used as a near-synonym of "pulse", an edible legume, though the term "pulses" is usually reserved for leguminous crops harvested for their dry grain and usually excludes crops mainly used for oil extraction (like soybeans and peanuts) or those used exclusively for sowing purposes (such as clover and alfalfa). Pulses are annual leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve Grains or Seeds of variable size shape and color within a Pod, according A legume is a Plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae or a Fruit of these specific plants Sowing is the process of planting Seeds. Sowing in practice Pretreatment of seed and soil before sowing Before sowing certain seeds first require Alsike redirects here Alsike Sweden is also a town in the Knivsta Municipality, Sweden. Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa) is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop Leguminous crops harvested green for food, such as snap peas, snow peas, etc. Snap peas (also known as Sugarsnap peas, or Mange-touts in Britain are a Cultivar group of edible-podded Peas that differ from Snow The snow pea ( Pisum sativum var macrocarpon) is a Legume, more specifically a variety of Pea eaten whole in its pod while still unripe , are classified as vegetable crops.

In English usage, the word "beans" is also sometimes used to mean the seeds or pods of plants that are not in the family Leguminosae, but which bear a superficial resemblance to true beans, for example coffee beans, castor beans and cocoa beans (which resemble bean seeds), and vanilla beans (which resemble the pods). A coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant (the pit inside the red or purple fruit The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a Plant Species of the Euphorbiaceae (the evolution of this plant family is relatively unexplored Cocoa is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree from which Chocolate is made Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico.

History

Beans are one of the longest-cultivated plants, broad beans having been grown at least since ancient Egypt, and the common bean for six thousand years in the Americas. Vicia faba, the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America

Many modern dry beans come from old-world varieties of broad beans, but most of the kinds commonly eaten fresh come from the Americas, being first seen by Christopher Columbus during his conquest of a region of what may have been the Bahamas, where they were grown in fields. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and

One especially famous use of beans by pre-Columbian people is the Three Sisters method of companion plant cultivation:

On the east coast of what would come to be called the United States, some tribes would grow maize (corn), beans, and squash intermingled together, a system which had originated in Mexico. The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of some Native American groups in North America: squash, Maize, and climbing Beans Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is planting of different crops in close physical proximity on the theory that they will help each other Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Squashes generally refer to four species of the genus Cucurbita native to the Mexico and Central America, also called marrows depending The corn would not be planted in rows as it is today, but in a checkerboard/hex fashion across a field, separate patches of one to four stalks each.

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. Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14

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. Proteins are broken down in the Stomach during Digestion by Enzymes known as Proteases into smaller Polypeptides to provide There are over 4,000 cultivars of bean on record in the United States, alone. A cultivar is a cultivated Plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics it is usually distinct from similar

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.

Types of beans

As illustrated by 15 bean soup, there is a great variety of beans types, including:

• Vicia
  • Faba or broad bean
    

    Vica faba or broad beans, known in the US as fava beans
• Vigna
  • Aconitifolia or Moth bean
  • Angularis or azuki bean
  • mungo or urad bean
  • radiata or mung bean
  • umbellatta or rice bean
  • unguiculata or cowpea (includes the black-eyed pea, yardlong bean and others)
• Cicer
  • arietinum or chickpea
• Pisum
  • sativum or pea
• Lathyrus
• Lathyrus sativus (Indian pea)
• Lathyrus tuberosus (Tuberous pea)
• Lens
  • culinaris or lentil
    

    Lentils
• Lablab
  • purpureus or hyacinth bean
• Phaseolus
  • acutifolius or tepary bean
  • coccineus or runner bean
  • lunatus or lima bean
  • vulgaris or common bean (includes the pinto bean, kidney bean, caparrones, and many others)
• Glycine
  • max or soybean
• Psophocarpus
  • tetragonolobus or winged bean
    

    Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (winged bean)
• Cajanus
  • cajan or pigeon pea
• Stizolobium
  • spp or velvet bean
• Cyamopsis
  • tetragonoloba or guar
• Canavalia
  • ensiformis or jack bean
  • gladiata or sword bean
• Macrotyloma
  • M. Vicia ( Vetches) is a large genus of about 140 species of Flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Vicia faba, the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of The Genus Vigna is in the Plant family Fabaceae. The genus is named after Dominico Vigna an Italian Botanist The moth bean (pronounced "moat bean" also called mat bean or Turkish gram, is a small drought-resistant annual trailing herb The azuki bean (also spelled adzuki or aduki) is an annual vine widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small Urad, also referred to as urad dal, urd bean, urd, urid, black matpe bean, black gram, black lentil ||-||} Mung bean, also known as green bean, mung, moong, mash bean, munggo or monggo, green gram, golden The rice bean is a small hairy annual Vine which bears yellow Flowers and small edible Beans It is a minor Food and Fodder The Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata) is one of several Species of the widely cultivated genus Vigna. The black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean, blackeye, 眉豆 (Cant The yardlong bean is also known as the long-podded cowpea asparagus bean snake bean or Chinese long bean Cicer is a genus of the Legume family Fabaceae. Its native distribution is across the Middle East and Asia. The chickpea ( Cicer arietinum) (also garbanzo bean, Indian pea, ceci bean, bengal gram, chana, kadale kaalu, Pisum is a genus of the family Fabaceae, native to southwest Asia and northeast Africa. A pea (inaccurately called a '''sweet pea''' by food distubutors is most commonly the small spherical Seed or the seed-pod of the Legume Pisum The Genus Lathyrus consists of the sweet peas and vetchlings, Flowering plants in the Legume family Fabaceae. Lathyrus sativus, is a Legume (family Fabaceae commonly grown for human consumption and Livestock feed in Asia and East Africa Lathyrus tuberosus, also known as the Tuberous Pea, Earthnut Pea, or Aardaker, is a small climbing Perennial plant The genus Lens of the Legume family Fabaceae contains four species of small erect or climbing Herbs with pinnate leaves and small inconspicuous The lentil or daal or pulse ( Lens culinaris) is a bushy Annual plant of the legume family grown for its lens-shaped Seeds The Hyacinth Bean ( Lablab purpureus, Syn Dolichos lablab L Dolichos purpureus L The Hyacinth Bean ( Lablab purpureus, Syn Dolichos lablab L Dolichos purpureus L Phaseolus ( Bean, Wild Bean) is a Genus in the Family Fabaceae of about fifty Plant Species, The Tepary bean ( Phaseolus acutifolius, Fabaceae) is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico and has been Phaseolus lunatus is a Legume. It is grown for its seed which is eaten as a vegetable In the Spanish region of La Rioja a variety of red kidney Bean shorter and more rounded than usual is known as a caparrón. Glycine is a genus in the Bean family Fabaceae. The most well known species is the Soybean ( Glycine max) The Winged bean ( Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) also known as the Goa bean ( kacang botol in Malaysia is a tropical Legume Plant The genus Cajanus is a member of the family Fabaceae and includes the Pigeon pea ( C The pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan, syn Cajanus indicus) is a perennial member of the family Fabaceae. Mucuna pruriens ( Syn Dolichos pruriens) is a tropical legume known by a multitude of Common names (see below Cyamopsis is a genus of the family Fabaceae. Its species are distributed across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The guar bean or cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus an annual Legume, is the source of Guar gum. The Genus Canavalia in the large Legume family ( Fabaceae) comprises approximately 70-75 Species of Tropical uniflorum or horse gram
• Lupinus or Lupin
  • L. mutabilis or tarwi
• Erythrina
  • E. Horse gram ( Macrotyloma uniflorum, Fabaceae) is one of the lesser known Beans It is also known as Gahat Kulath or Kulthi ಹುರಳಿ (huraLi Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the Genus Lupinus in the legume family Lupinus mutabilis is a species of Lupin grown in the Andes for its edible Bean. Erythrina is a genus of tropical and subtropical flowering trees in the Family Fabaceae and distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide herbacea or Coral bean

Cultural aspects

The following traditional uses of beans refer to the broad bean. The Coral bean ( Erythrina herbacea) also known as the Cherokee bean Red cardinal or Cardinal spear is a flowering tree found throughout the south-eastern United States Vicia faba, the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of

• 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. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Jack and the Beanstalk is an English Fairy tale, closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant Killer.
• The Grimm Brothers collected a story in which a bean splits its sides laughing at the failure of others. The Brothers Grimm ( German: Die Gebrüder Grimm) Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm,
• Dreaming of a bean is sometimes said to be a sign of impending conflict, though others said they caused bad dreams.

• Pliny the Elder claimed that beans act as a laxative. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Laxatives (or purgatives) are foods compounds or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool most often taken to treat Constipation. He may have been referring to the seeds of the castor oil plant, which contain oils used as laxatives in ancient India. The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a Plant Species of the Euphorbiaceae (the evolution of this plant family is relatively unexplored
• European folklore claims that planting beans on Good Friday or during the night-time is good luck. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha"
• "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" (豆, マメ = "bean") may also mean something small. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities "Mame Chishiki" (豆知識), 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" (マメコガネ), meaning "small beetle". The Japanese beetle ( Popillia japonica commonly referred to as the jitterbug is a Beetle about 1
• 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. Zinc phosphide ( Zn3[[Phosphorus P2]] is an Inorganic Chemical compound. Rodenticides are a category of Pest control Chemicals intended to kill Rodents Single feed baits are chemicals sufficiently

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. Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA or phytohemagglutinin) is a Lectin found in plants especially Beans PHA actually consists of two closely related proteins called 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). A slow cooker or Crock-Pot (a trademark often used generically is a Countertop electrical cooking appliance that maintains a relatively low temperature (compared

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)

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 oligosaccharide is a Saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically three to ten of component sugars also known as Simple sugars. Raffinose is a Trisaccharide composed of Galactose, Fructose, and Glucose. Stachyose is an Tetrasaccharide consisting of two Dα- Galactose units one Dα- Glucose unit and one Dβ- Fructose unit sequentially linked The cabbage ( Brassica oleracea var capitata) is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae used as a An anti-oligosaccharide enzyme is necessary to properly digest these sugar molecules. Enzymes are Biomolecules that catalyze ( ie increase the rates of Chemical reactions Almost all enzymes are Proteins As a normal human digestive tract does not contain any anti-oligosaccharide enzymes, consumed oligosaccharides are typically digested by bacteria in the large intestine. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have This digestion process produces flatulence-causing gases as a byproduct. Flatulence is the production of a mixture of gases in the digestive tract of Mammals that are byproducts of the digestion process 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. WikipediaManual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English --> Molds (or This enzyme, currently sold in the U.S. under the brand-name Beano, can be added to food or consumed separately. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In many cuisines beans are cooked along with natural carminatives such as anise seeds, coriander seeds and cumin. A carminative, also known as carminativum ( Plural carminativa) is a medicinal drug with Antispasmodic activity that is used against '''Anise''' or Aniseed, less commonly anís (stressed on the second syllable ( Pimpinella anisum) is a Flowering plant in the family Apiaceae Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum) also commonly called cilantro, is an annual Herb in the family Apiaceae.

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. Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid

Fermented beans will not produce most of the intestinal problems that unfermented beans will, since bacteria can consume the offending sugars.

Production

Brazil Is world leader in production of Dry Bean followed by India and then China. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

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. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches

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

See also

• Common bean
• Pulses
• List of edible seeds
• Baked beans
• Fassoulada

Notes and references

External links

• Everett H. Bickley Collection, 1919-1980 Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
• Discovery Online: The Skinny On Why Beans Give You Gas
• Bulgarian Guide: Bean Soup Recipe
• Fermentation improves nutritional value of beans
• Cook's Thesaurus on Beans

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