Borlotti Beans

Name: Borlotti beans, also called cranberry beans or Roman beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — plump, creamy beans with cranberry-red speckles and streaks, with a smooth, nutty, slightly sweet, chestnut-like flavour. The speckles fade to brown when cooked.

Description

Borlotti are a variety of common bean that reached Italy after the Columbian exchange, and became a staple of northern Italian cooking, especially in the Veneto. They are the traditional bean in pasta e fagioli, a classic Italian soup of beans and pasta, and in minestrone. In North America the same bean is sold as cranberry beans, and a separate page covers them.

Fresh borlotti in their bright, pink-and-cream-streaked pods are a late-summer treat, and dried ones are available year round. They have a creamy, smooth texture and hold their shape reasonably well.

Main nutrition value

Borlotti beans are an excellent source of plant protein and fibre, and provide folate, iron, magnesium and manganese, with little fat.

How best to be consumed

Borlotti beans are cooked until creamy, and are good in slow-cooked dishes.

1. Soak dried beans in plenty of water for 8 to 12 hours, then drain and rinse, which shortens cooking time and reduces gas.
2. Simmer for 60 to 90 minutes with garlic, sage and rosemary until creamy.
3. Use in pasta e fagioli, minestrone, stews and salads, or mash with olive oil.
4. Cook fresh beans for 30 to 40 minutes after shelling.
5. Rinse canned beans, to reduce salt and the starchy liquid.

Overconsumption could cause…

Borlotti beans are healthy in food amounts when cooked.

1. Digestive upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea) from raw or undercooked beans, which contain natural lectins that cooking destroys, so always boil dried beans thoroughly.
2. Bloating and gas from the fermentable carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) in beans, particularly if you are not used to eating them, so build up gradually and drink water.
3. High sodium in canned beans, so choose no-added-salt cans and rinse them well.
4. Reduced absorption of iron, zinc and calcium from the phytates in dried beans, which soaking, sprouting and thorough cooking reduce.

GroupsBeansLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in magnesiumRich in potassiumRich in zincItalian

Related foodsCranberry BeansBlack-Eyed PeasKidney BeansNavy BeansRed BeansRed Kidney Beans

Wikipedia — Borlotti bean, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borlotti_bean