Beans

A bean is the seed of one of several genera of the flowering plant family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes throughout the world.

Almost every region of the world that grows beans has different specific local names, but most of these dry beans are members of the scientific classification Phaseolus vulgaris.

Beans have been cultivated by man for millenia and are grown in many and consumed in most countries of the world today. It is estimated that there are well over 400 different types or varieties of dry beans grown throughout the world. Most beans are consumed in local diets and don’t find their way onto our western grocery shelves.