Boston Baked Beans in Concord, Mass 2012-0193

Boston baked beans are a variety of

baked beans Baked beans is a dish traditionally containing white beans that are parboiled and then, in the US, baked in sauce at low temperature for a lengthy period. In the United Kingdom, the dish is sometimes baked, but usually stewed in sauce. Canned ...

, sweetened with molasses, and flavored with

salt pork Salt pork is salt-cured pork. It is usually prepared from pork belly, or, more rarely, fatback. Salt pork typically resembles uncut side bacon, but is fattier, being made from the lowest part of the belly, and saltier, as the cure is stronger ...

or bacon.

History

Native Americans had made

corn bread Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are ...

and baked beans. The Pilgrims at

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...

learned these recipes in the early 1620s and likely added

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

to the corn meal to invent New England

brown bread Brown bread is bread made with significant amounts of whole grain flour, usually wheat, and sometimes dark-coloured ingredients such as molasses or coffee. In Canada, Ireland and South Africa, it is whole wheat bread; in the Maritimes and Ne ...

. The

triangular trade Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset ...

of slaves in the 18th century helped to make Boston an exporter of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

, which is produced by the

distillation Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heat ...

of fermented molasses. At that time, molasses was added to local baked bean recipes, creating a distinctive style of baked beans unique to New England. In colonial

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

, baked beans were traditionally cooked on Saturdays and left in brick ovens overnight. On Sundays, the beans were still hot, allowing people to indulge in a hot meal and still comply with Sabbath restrictions. Brown bread and baked beans along with frankfurters continue to be a popular Saturday night staple throughout the region.

Regional varieties

The region has two main styles of baked beans: Boston baked beans and Maine baked beans.The difference between the two styles is that Boston beans are made with small white navy beans or pea beans with thin skin while Maine beans are made with native bean varieties with thicker skins. The varieties used in Maine are Marafax, soldier, and the most popular baked bean variety in Maine is the yellow-eye. Both varieties are often made with salt pork or bacon. However, there is also a long tradition of vegetarian baked beans made with the same recipe as Boston baked beans or Maine baked beans but made without the addition of salt pork or bacon.

Legacy

Boston is often referred to as “Beantown” in reference to the popular dish. From 1883 to 1906 the National League baseball team in Boston was known as the Boston Beaneaters. An annual tournament between the ice hockey teams of four Boston-area universities is named the

Beanpot A beanpot is a deep, wide-bellied, short-necked vessel used to cook bean-based dishes. Beanpots are typically made of ceramic, though some are made of other materials, such as cast iron. The relatively narrow mouth of the beanpot minimizes evap ...

References

Massachusetts cuisine Baked beans American legume dishes {{US-cuisine-stub

History

Regional varieties

Legacy

See also

References