Black bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

legume

Small black-skinned beans of the common bean, a plant from Mesoamerica; the backbone of Latin American cooking, from feijoada to frijoles. They provide anthocyanins, fibre, protein, folate, iron and magnesium.

Origin

Mesoamerica

Season (United States)

all year round · grows in your region

Preparation

Like the red kidney bean, to a lesser degree: soak, discard the water, and bring to a real boil — undercooked, it contains a lectin that upsets the gut. Soaking, sprouting or sourdough bring its phytates down — and release the zinc and iron they were holding.

Molecules

Resistant starch RS1 · GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) · Anthocyanins · Folates (B9) · Vitamin B1 (thiamine) · Plant iron · Magnesium · Protein · Lysine · MolybdenumIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine · PhosphorusWhat slows things down Phytates

Did you know?

Christopher Columbus discovered the bean at Nuevitas, in Cuba, in October 1492, on his first voyage.