Pinto Beans

Name: Pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — medium-sized, oval, beige beans speckled with reddish-brown, which fade to a uniform pinkish-brown when cooked, with a creamy, earthy, slightly nutty flavour. Pinto is Spanish for “painted.”

Description

Pinto beans are the most widely eaten bean in the United States, and a staple of Mexican, Tex-Mex and Southwestern cooking. They were developed from beans grown for thousands of years in the Americas, and were brought into wider cultivation in the 20th century.

They are the beans in frijoles de la olla (pot beans), refried beans, burritos, chilli and the soul food dish pinto beans and cornbread. When mashed or refried, they turn creamy and thick, and they absorb spices well.

Main nutrition value

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

How best to be consumed

Pinto beans are cooked until creamy, and are often mashed.

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 onion, garlic and cumin until creamy, and keep the pot liquor.
3. Mash and fry for refried beans, using a little oil rather than lard for a lighter result.
4. Use in burritos, chilli, soups, stews and salads.
5. Rinse canned beans, and check refried beans for added fat and salt.

Overconsumption could cause…

Pinto 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.
5. A lot of fat and salt in canned or restaurant refried beans made with lard.

GroupsBeansLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in magnesiumRich in potassiumRich in seleniumMexican and Latin American

Related foodsBlack BeansMung BeansYardlong BeansCannellini BeansWhite Kidney BeansHyacinth Beans

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