John Myers
If you only know the green runner beans, you are missing out. Because the legumes are available in many other variants, which score with valuable ingredients and variety of taste. Find out more in our overview of bean varieties.
From thick to rod-shaped: types of beans
They are sometimes spotted, sometimes uniformly yellow, brown, white or green. Slender and rod-shaped or rounded and thick. Dried or fresh: she doesn’t care about boredom! The different types of beans provide visual and tasty variety in the kitchen. And: Many are available fresh on site as beans from Germany, thus enabling a sustainable food supply. The inner values are also impressive. Since the legumes are rich in vegetable protein, they easily replace schnitzel, steak & co., which is not only appreciated by vegetarians and vegans. Dietary fibers keep the digestion busy – sometimes perhaps too much. Spices like caraway and the right preparation help to ensure that “every little bean doesn’t give off a little something”. The expert reveals more when answering the question: “Why can’t you eat beans and legumes raw?” In the following, we give a brief overview of the most popular types of beans.
Garden bean: primordial mother of many varieties
Native species of beans such as pole beans with their varieties such as the wax bean, the yellow legume variety, snap beans, and green beans all belong to the “haricot bean” species. The elongated legumes on their long tendrils can actually be found in many gardens. Gourmets appreciate the fine, relatively soft shell, which literally melts in the mouth after cooking, especially in the case of wax beans. The green beans in this category can be found as a classic accompaniment to meat and fish in many traditional home cooking recipes.
Broad beans and beans
Whoever thinks of legumes, in addition to the runner bean, quickly has images of bean varieties in mind that are small and plump. In fact, white beans, red kidney beans, and spotted bean varieties such as runner beans or fire beans also belong to the garden beans. They are popular canned and dried beans that are great for storing in the kitchen cupboard. Filling dishes such as a colorful bean salad, classic chilli con carne or bean stew can be prepared at any time. Broad beans, also known as field or broad beans, are botanically not beans, but vetches.
When it comes to bean varieties, you are spoiled for choice. The following rule of thumb can serve as a small decision-making aid: If you want to eat the beans together with the pod as a side dish, runner and bush beans are a good choice. Bean seeds, such as kidney beans, work well as the main ingredient in a meal.
