Bean (food)
A bean is an edible seed, or the pod containing it, produced by plants in the legume family. Beans are eaten fresh, dried, or processed into foods.
Legume: A plant in the family Fabaceae, whose fruits are typically pods containing seeds. Beans are seeds or pods of leguminous plants.
Bean flour: Flour made by grinding dried edible beans into a powder. Grinding beans makes them usable in breads, batters, and thickened dishes.
Oligosaccharide: A short chain of sugar molecules that is not fully digested in the human small intestine. Bean oligosaccharides are fermented by gut microbes and can produce gas.
Dietary fiber: Carbohydrates in foods that resist digestion in the human small intestine. Beans provide substantial fiber, including resistant starch and fermentable carbohydrates.
Black bean: A small, dark-skinned variety of common bean widely eaten in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines. It is a familiar variety used in soups, rice dishes, and refried preparations.
Pulse: A dry edible seed harvested from a leguminous crop, such as a dried bean, lentil, or chickpea. The term covers dried beans but excludes fresh green beans.
Baked beans: A dish of beans cooked slowly in a seasoned sauce, often tomato-based or molasses-sweetened. It is a widely recognized preparation of cooked beans.
Lectin: A protein that binds specific carbohydrates; some plant lectins can be harmful when foods are eaten raw or undercooked. Undercooked kidney beans can contain hazardous levels of phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin.
Plant protein: Protein derived from plants, including legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds. Beans supply protein without requiring animal foods.
Kidney bean: A large, kidney-shaped cultivar of common bean, often sold dried or canned. Its shape and use in chili make it a recognizable bean variety.