The black turtle bean is a small, shiny variety of the common bean (''

Phaseolus vulgaris ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean,, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, alo ...

'') especially popular in

Latin American cuisine Latin American cuisine is the typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a highly racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse with varying cuisines. Some i ...

, though it can also be found in the

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

and Creole cuisines of south Louisiana. Like all varieties of the common bean, it is native to

the Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

, but has been introduced around the world. It is also used in

Indian cuisine Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally av ...

Tamil cuisine Tamil cuisine is a generic term used to describe culinary practices among Tamil language, Tamil-speaking populations, originating from Southern India and neighboring Sri Lanka. It encompasses several distinct styles of cuisine or cooking reper ...

, where it is known as ''karuppu kaaramani'' and in

Maharashtrian cuisine Maharashtrian or Marathi cuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has distinctive attributes, while sharing much with other Indian cuisines. Traditionally, Maharashtrians have considered their food to ...

, where it is known as ''kala ghevada''. It is widely used in Uttrakhand, where it is also known as "bhatt". It is a rich source of iron and protein. The black turtle bean is often simply called the black bean (, , , , , or in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

; and in Portuguese), although this terminology can cause confusion with at least three other types of black beans. The black turtle bean is the only type of turtle bean. It is called ''

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

'' because of its hard outer "shell". It is not to be confused with

douchi ''Douchi'' is a type of fermented and salted black soybean most popular in the cuisine of China, where they are most widely used for making black bean sauce dishes. Shurtleff, W.; Aoyagi, Abr>History of Fermented Black Soybeans (165 B.C. to ...

, the Chinese dish made with black hulled soybeans.

Background

The black bean has a dense, meaty texture, which makes it popular in

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

dishes, such as ''

frijoles negros ''Frijoles negros'' ( in Spanish) is a Latin American dish made with black beans, prepared in Guatemala, Cuba, Venezuela (where it is called ''caraotas negras''), Puerto Rico, Mexico, and other nations in Latin America. The black bean, a legu ...

'' and the Mexican-American black bean

burrito A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerre ...

. It is a very popular bean in various regions of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and is used in the national dish, '' feijoada''. It is also a main ingredient of '' Moros y Cristianos'' in Cuba, is a required ingredient in the typical ''

gallo pinto or is a traditional rice and bean dish from Central America. Consisting of rice and beans as a base, gallo pinto is important to both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, both of which consider it a national dish. The beans in gallo pinto are cooked ...

'' of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, is a fundamental part of ''

Pabellón criollo Pabellón criollo () is a traditional Venezuelan dish that is considered the national dish. It mixes elements from the three different cultures that intermixed during Spanish colonial times: Native Americans, Spanish and Africans. The name is a s ...

'' in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, and is served in almost all of Latin America, as well as many Hispanic enclaves in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In the

Dominican Republic cuisine Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish cuisine, Spanish, Indigenous Taíno, Middle Eastern cuisine, Middle Eastern, and Cuisine of Africa, African influences. The most recent influences in Dominican cuisine are from the British West Indies and ...

, it is also used for a variation of the ''Moros y Cristianos'' simply called ''Moro de habichuelas negras''. The black turtle bean is also popular as a soup ingredient. In Cuba, black bean soup is a traditional dish, usually served with white rice.

Black beans sticky rice Black beans sticky rice (, ''khao niew tua dum'') is a Thai dessert made of glutinous rice, black beans and coconut milk. It is available throughout the year, unlike seasonal desserts such as mango sticky rice and durian sticky rice. It can hav ...

is a Thai dessert. The bean was first widely grown in the present-day United States after the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

(1846–1848). However, initially the variety was primarily grown as a

snap pea The snap pea, also known as the sugar snap pea, is an edible-pod pea with rounded pods and thick pod walls, in contrast to snow pea pods, which are flat with thin walls. The name mangetout ( French for "eat all") can apply to snap peas and snow ...

(for the edible seed pod). It is also common to keep the boiled water of these beans (which acquires a black coloring) and consume it as a soup with other ingredients for seasoning (known as ''sopa negra'', black soup, or as ''sopa de frijoles'', bean soup), as a broth (''caldo de frijol'', bean broth) or to season or color other dishes (aforementioned ''gallo pinto'', for example). Samples of black turtle beans were reported in 2006 to contain total

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are solubility, water-soluble vacuole, vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compou ...

s in their dried seed coats of 0−2.78 mg/g.

Gallery

File:Black beans, cheese, tortilla close-up.jpg, Cooked whole black turtle beans on tortillas File:Black bean dip.jpg, A bean dip from black beans File:Corn and black bean salad.jpg, Salad with corn and beans

References

External links

The World's Healthiest Foods - Black Beans

Unlocking the Nutritional Power of Sprouted Black Bean Flour
{{Phaseolus Phaseolus Edible legumes Vegan cuisine Vegetarian cuisine Crops

Background

Gallery

See also

References

External links