Back where you started
Very Best Biscotti Recipe
Bulletin Board           Big Pots-Quantity Cooking and OAMC

Varieties of Beans and Seeds

Botanical Name Common Name(s) Varieties found
ARACHIS HYPOGAEA GROUNDNUT
or PEANUT 		Runners, Virginia, in-shell, shelled, blanched, boiled
BRASSICA NIGRA, HIRTA MUSTARD SEED Brown, Black, Oriental, Yellow
CAJANUS CAJAN PIGEON PEA Peruvian, Tanzanian
CICER ARIETINUM CHICKPEA Blanco Sinaloa, Café, Chana dahl, Desi, Kabuli, Spaniola, Tyson
GUIZOTIA ABYSSINICA NIGER SEED Nigerseed
HELIANTHUS ANNUS SUNFLOWER SEED Striped, Black, in-shell and shelled (meats)
LENS ESCULENTA LENTIL Chinese whole green, Crimson, Dark Speckled (Puy), Eston, Laird, Pardinas, Red whole and split, Regulars, Richlea, Black Caviar, French
LINUM USITATISSIMUM LINSEED Linseed
LUPINUS ALBUS LUPIN Bitter, Sweet, Hamburg
NIGELLA SATIVA NIGELLA SEED Black Cumin seed
PANICUM MILIACEUM MILLET Gold, Plate, Mixed, Red, Sprays, teff
PHALARIS CANARIENSIS CANARY SEED Canaryseed
PHASEOLUS ANGULARIS ADZUKI, ADUKI, AZUKI Red Adzuki
PHASEOLUS AUREUS MUNG Green Mung, mung dahl
PHASEOLUS MUNGO URID Black Urid
PHASEOLUS LUNATUS LIMA Baby, Green Baby, Large Fordhook
PHASEOLUS VULGARIS COMMON BEAN
KIDNEY 		Alubia, Alubita, Barbounia, Bayo, Baysheke, Blacks, Bombas, Brown, Cali, Canarios, Carioca, Cranberry, Dark Red, Dermasson, Flat Large White, Great Northern, Hallados, Horoz, Japanese White, Light Red, Light Speckled, Mayacoba, Medium White, Navy (peabean), Ovale, Pallares, Pink, Pinto, Rosecoco, Sira, Sugar, Small White, Tortola
PISUM SATIVUM PEA Alaska, Dunn, Green whole and split, Marrowfat, Small Sieve, Solara, Yellow whole and split
SESAMUM SESAME SEED Black, Gonder, Humera, Mixed, Reddish, Waleka, Whitish, hulled and unhulled
VICIA FABA BROAD BEAN Faba, Horse, Nile, Victor, whole and split
VIGNA UNGUICULATA COWPEA Blackeye, Browneye, Colored Cowpeas, Yelloweye
ZEA MAYS MAIZE or CORN Yellow Maize, White Maize, Indian, Maize meal, Butterfly Popcorn, Mushroom Popcorn

What is the difference between Oriental black beans and the black beans used in Brazilian, Portuguese and Mexican dishes?

The black beans from Asia are soybeans, and are usually found fermented and preserved in salt. Botanically, they are "glycine max", and are known as "chi" in China, where they have been an important condiment since at least the 2nd Century BC.

Today, when you buy oriental fermented black beans, they may have been made with black soybeans, which have the same taste as yellow, white or brown soybeans, but this is not necessarily the case. The lighter beans may have been used, and darkened naturally during fermentation. Also known as Chinese black beans or salty or salted black beans, they have a very strong, salty flavor and are generally soaked for a half hour or so in fresh water before being added to a dish.

The black beans that are a staple in Central and South America are a variety of what bean experts call the "haricot bean," or the phaseolus vulgaris. Haricot beans take in a huge variety of beans, including green beans, shell beans, flageolet beans, cranberry beans, pea beans, kidney beans, and many others. They provide a balance of carbohydrates and proteins, but are lower in protein than soy beans and do not contain natural oil or fat. Some are eaten fresh in the pod, some fresh out of the pod, some literally popped like popcorn, and many others dried before eating.

The black beans particularly popular in South America, Spain and Portugal are not soy beans. They are called simply black bean (frijol negro in Spanish, feijao in Portuguese), or Mexican black bean or turtle bean. These beans can be eaten fresh in season, but are more often dried. Their flavor has been compared to meat or mushrooms. Lime or lemon, cilantro, fat meat or bacon and rum have all become popular seasonings for the black bean.