Flageolet Beans

Name: Flageolet beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — small, tender, pale green, kidney-shaped beans, harvested before they are fully mature, with a delicate, creamy, slightly sweet flavour. They are French.

Description

Flageolets were developed in France in the 1870s by the plant breeder Gabriel Chevrier, who produced a variety, the ‘Flageolet Chevrier,’ that is harvested young and then dried, so the beans keep their pale green colour. They are named after a small wind instrument, a flageolet.

They are a classic with roast lamb in French cooking, and in cassoulet-style stews and salads. They are thin-skinned and delicate, and cook more quickly than most dried beans.

Main nutrition value

Flageolet beans are a good source of plant protein and fibre, with folate, iron and magnesium, and are low in fat.

How best to be consumed

Flageolet beans are delicate, and best simmered gently.

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 gently for 45 to 60 minutes with a bay leaf, thyme and garlic, until tender but not mushy.
3. Serve with roast lamb, sausages, or in salads with vinaigrette.
4. Dress with butter, shallot and parsley, as a French side dish.
5. Rinse canned flageolets, to reduce salt.

Overconsumption could cause…

Flageolet 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 familyFrench

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