THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602210043
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Long : 193 lines
IN THE SIXTH century B.C., Pythagoras advised his followers:
``Eat no beans.''
Historians are not sure why the Greek mathematician said this. Perhaps he hoarded dry beans to use in his fancy math calculations.
Contemporary nutritionists are just glad that Pythagoras is no longer around, peddling that prescription.
Because their advice is:
``Eat beans. They're good for you.''
So good that Katherine Tate, a dietitian with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, says she considers them the ``single most healthful food.''
So good that Dale Kuenzli, executive director of the Michigan Bean Commission, recently called beans ``the world's most nearly perfect food.''
For a long time, beans were better known as ``poor man's food.'' Then, in the 1970s, the cost of meat and other staples skyrocketed. At the same time researchers began to verify that the typical American diet, high in fat, low in fiber, is hazardous to our health.
The low-cost, low-fat, high-fiber bean soon became wise man's food.
Pythagoras might have been wise about many things but he apparently didn't know that dry beans are high in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber. They are rich sources of minerals, including calcium, iron, copper, zinc, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium, and the B-complex vitamins, including thiamin, niacin and folic acid.
Not only are they low in fat and sodium, beans are cholesterol-free. Studies have shown that one cup a day can reduce total serum cholesterol levels by as much as 19 percent after just three weeks.
The bean is so nutritionally blessed that it has been placed in two wholesome categories on the Food Guide Pyramid: A half-cup beans equals one serving in both the vegetable and meat groups.
Yes, the dietitians are smitten. At last October's national meeting of the American Dietetic Association, the Michigan Bean Commission received 1,000 new requests for its quarterly mailing, according to executive director Kuenzli. Michigan shares the title of top bean-producing state with North Dakota.
The good news goes on: A small pile of pennies will buy a big hill of beans. A pound of most beans usually costs less, sometimes much less, than a dollar. That pound of beans can convert to about 12 servings of bean soup.
The bean has beefed up its image, all right. Lately, this humble food with roots in many primitive cultures has made supporting and starring appearances in fine-dining establishments. With the growing popularity of ethnic and peasant dishes in restaurant and home cuisine, the once-lowly bean has emerged as a ``Cinderella food,'' in the words of Jean Hoare, author of ``Jean's Beans'' (Firefly Books, 1995). Boutique beans, such as the scarlet runner and the flagelot, are becoming as easy to find as the more familiar navy, pinto and kidney beans.
Had he sampled the pasta e fagioli soup at Norfolk's Cafe 21 or the black bean cakes at the Lucky Star in Virginia Beach, Pythagoras almost certainly would have ceased his bean-bashing.
Sure, the bean has flaws, but they are minor.
Although it is hailed as nature's most complete vegetable protein, the bean lacks sufficient amounts of the essential amino acid methionine. This is easily corrected by serving beans with foods high in methionine, such as rice or corn, or by serving them with small amounts of protein-rich meat, fish or eggs.
A frequent criticism leveled at beans is that they take too long to prepare. Whoever believes this is full of beans. During the overnight soak that readies dry beans for cooking, the cook can be doing other worthwhile things - sleeping, for instance. An alternative to the long soak is the quick-soak method: After two minutes of boiling and one hour of soaking, the beans are recipe-ready.
An even simpler alternative is canned beans. A quick rinse in cold water will rid them of excess salt before they are added to the pot.
Pythagoras, who probably spent lots of time in crowded marketplaces, may have shunned beans for the same reason that today's astronauts avoid them. Like some of today's bean critics, Pythagoras may have considered the intestinal distress that accompanies bean consumption the food's tragic flaw.
Today's bean backers have antidotes:
The overnight soaking method can rid beans of almost 90 percent of the complex sugars that are so hard to digest. Soaking water, which absorbs the sugars, should be replaced with fresh water before proceeding with the recipe.
Drinking lots of fluids aids in bean digestion.
Newcomers should add beans to the diet gradually, starting with a half cup once or twice a week, and increasing slowly so the body can adjust to a higher fiber intake.
Americans consume about 7.3 pounds of beans per person per year. This is a healthy jump from the 5.6-pound average in the late '70s. But it is just a drop in the beanpot compared to the 35-pound-average in Mexico, the 130-pound average in Burundi.
Bean-eating may never be our gold-medal event, but at long last we are heeding the message that beans are the food of champions.
MEMO: Mary Flachsenhaar is a free-lance writer living in Norfolk. The
accompanying recipes have been kitchen-tested by the writer.
ILLUSTRATION: BETH BERGMAN
The Virginian-Pilot
[Color photos of beans]
BEAN BASICS
Buy dry beans from a supermarket, health- or ethnic-food store
that keeps them in fresh supply. Look for clean, whole beans of
uniform size and color.
Store beans in a cool, dry place. They store well but are
susceptible to changes in humidity and temperature.
Sort beans, discarding bits of dirt, rock and discolored beans.
Rinse them with cold water.
Soak dry beans in one of three ways:
For the overnight soak, cover every pound of beans with six cups
cold water. Let beans stand at room temperature eight to 12 hours.
For the quick-soak, place beans in a large saucepan, cover with 2
inches cold water. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let
stand, covered, 1 hour or longer.
For the extra-quick soak, place beans in a a large saucepan and
cover with 2 inches water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and
boil for 10 minutes. Drain beans, then cover with 2 inches of fresh
cool water. Soak for 30 minutes.
In any of these methods, the longer the soaking time, the greater
the dissolution of gas-producing sugars. Discarding the soak water
will further reduce the troublesome sugars.
Cook soaked and drained beans as the recipe directs. Cooking time
for most beans is 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cooked beans should retain their
shape and be tender but not mushy.
Season beans with garlic, onion, oregano, parsley or thyme while
they are cooking, but don't add salt or anything acidic, such as
tomatoes, vinegar, wine or citrus juices, until the beans are almost
tender. Added earlier, salt tends to toughen the beans, and acids
can slow cooking time.
Serve bean dishes within four or five days. Many bean dishes
taste better the day after they're cooked.
KNOW YOUR BEANS
There are at least 50 varieties of dry beans. The following are
easy to find in Hampton Roads stores. Try a kaleidescope mix of
variously colored beans in your next soup or stew.
Adzuki beans are small, oval, reddish-brown beans with a soft
texture and nutty, sweet flavor. Used often in Japanese cooking,
they work well in sweet and savory dishes.
Anasazi are small, kidney-shaped beans with white markings on a
reddish background. Meaning ``ancient one'' in Navajo, the anasazi
has a meaty flavor.
Black turtle are small, black, kidney-shaped beans with an earthy
flavor. They are often teamed with hot spices in Central and South
American dishes.
Black-eyed peas are off-white with a black spot and slight kidney
shape. They become tender and savory when cooked, and team up well
with bitter greens and ham.
Cannellinis are plump, oval, ivory-colored beans. Characterized
by a smooth texture and subtle nutty flavor, cannellini beans are
used extensively in Italian cooking.
Cranberry beans have deep-pink to cranberry markings on a rose
background. With a nutlike flavor and mealy texture, they can be
used interchangeably with pinto beans.
Garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, are light tan with a rich nutty
flavor. They hold up particularly well after cooking. Garbanzos are
used in the Middle Eastern dishes falafel and hummus.
Great Northern beans are small, bright white and slightly kidney
shaped, with a mild flavor and creamy texture similar to white
kidney beans.
Green lentils are flat and shaped like little discs. They have a
pleasing mild flavor and are wonderful in soups. Lentils do not
require soaking.
Kidney beans come in dark red, light red, brown, white and black.
They have a rich, meaty flavor and are most often used in chili.
Limas are white beans ranging in length from 1/2 to 1 inch. With
a mild flavor and soft texture, the Lima is named after the capital
of Peru where it was cultivated many centuries ago.
Navy beans are said to have been favored on Navy battleships. The
white beans have a mild flavor and mealy texture.
Pintos are so-named because they have the same markings as the
pinto horse. Full-flavored and mealy in texture, pintos can be used
interchangeably with kidney beans.
Red lentils are actually bright orange. They become very soft
when cooked and are best used in purees or soups. They do not need
preliminary soaking.
Small red chili beans also are called small red beans or red
Mexican beans. They share their meaty, slightly sweet flavor with
the kidney bean.
Soybeans are small round beans available in a variety of colors,
from yellow, green and brown to black and mottled. They have a mild
flavor and firm texture. They are widely used throughout Asia where
they are eaten in many forms, including milk, oil, tofu soy sauce,
soy flour and tempeh. In this country, many vegetarians rely on
soybeans and soy products as their main source of protein. While the
average protein content of most beans is 20 percent, soybeans are 40
percent protein.
Sources: Los Angeles Times Syndicate; the Michigan Bean
Commission; the Bean Education & Awareness Network; ``Beans'' by
Sandra Gluck (Collins Publishers, 1995); ``Jean's Beans'' by Jean
Hoare (Firefly Books, 1995).
by CNB