Name: Wax beans, also called yellow beans or butter beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — pale yellow to cream-coloured green bean varieties, with a waxy sheen, a tender texture and a mild, slightly sweeter flavour than green beans.
Description
Wax beans are the same species as green beans, differing mainly in colour, because the variety lacks chlorophyll, which gives green beans their colour. They have been grown in Europe and North America since the 19th century, and are a favourite in home gardens and in mixed “three bean salads.”
They are sold fresh, canned and frozen, in the same way as green beans, and can be used the same way. Their colour fades to a dull, pale yellow when overcooked, so they are best cooked briefly.
Main nutrition value
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Wax beans provide vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, manganese and fibre, and are low in calories, though they have less beta-carotene than green beans.
How best to be consumed
Wax beans are cooked like green beans, and are best briefly cooked.
- Trim the ends, and steam or boil for 4 to 6 minutes until tender-crisp.
- Toss with butter, herbs or a vinaigrette, and serve warm or cold.
- Mix with green beans for a colourful bean salad.
- Pickle them, as in dilly beans.
- Buy firm, smooth, pale yellow pods with no blemishes.
Overconsumption could cause…
Wax beans are safe and healthy in food amounts when cooked.
- Digestive upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea) from raw or undercooked beans, which contain natural lectins that cooking destroys, so always cook beans thoroughly.
- Bloating and gas from the fermentable carbohydrates in beans and peas, particularly if you are not used to eating them.
- Allergic reactions in a small number of people allergic to legumes.
- A lot of salt in canned wax beans, so rinse them.
Wikipedia — Green bean, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bean
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