Cranberry Beans

Name: Cranberry beans, also called borlotti beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — plump, cream-coloured beans with cranberry-red speckles and streaks, with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour and a creamy texture. In North America the name cranberry bean is used for the same bean that Italians call borlotti.

Description

Cranberry beans are a heirloom type of common bean, originally from the Americas and long grown in Italy and Europe, where the name borlotti is used. They have been grown in New England and North America as well, where fresh cranberry beans in their pink pods are a late-summer farmers' market item.

Like borlotti, they have a smooth, creamy, chestnut-like flavour and keep their shape in slow cooking. The attractive red speckles fade on cooking, and the beans turn a uniform pinkish-brown.

Main nutrition value

Cranberry beans are an excellent source of plant protein and fibre, with folate, iron, magnesium and manganese, and are low in fat.

How best to be consumed

Cranberry beans are used fresh or dried, and are cooked until creamy.

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 until creamy, or 30 to 40 minutes for fresh shelled beans.
3. Use in soups, stews, chilli, salads and pasta dishes.
4. Shell fresh beans, and cook with herbs, garlic and olive oil.
5. Rinse canned beans, to reduce salt.

Overconsumption could cause…

Cranberry 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 zinc

Related foodsBorlotti BeansBlack-Eyed PeasKidney BeansNavy BeansRed BeansRed Kidney Beans

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