If you want to learn more about beans, check out this great book Beans: A History by Ken Albala. Did you know there are 18,815 species of beans? Tamarind, carob, and jicama are all part of this family. I found it fascinating to read about the really exotic varieties, there is actually one that tastes like ice cream (Inga edulis).
It was also one of the first plants domesticated over 10,000 years ago. The author goes into how beans have risen and fallen in favor with different cultures and classes. It's a complicated story that is told well. Just about every culture has a rich history of bean recipes and I really liked that the author included a sampling of these recipes. Want to know how the ancient Romans or the medieval peasants cooked their beans? It's in here. There's even a recipe for a Pinto Bean Fruit Cake, though I think I'll pass.
I recommend this book for a great breadth of knowledge while keeping it entertaining to read. I found my copy at the local library, check it out!
It was also one of the first plants domesticated over 10,000 years ago. The author goes into how beans have risen and fallen in favor with different cultures and classes. It's a complicated story that is told well. Just about every culture has a rich history of bean recipes and I really liked that the author included a sampling of these recipes. Want to know how the ancient Romans or the medieval peasants cooked their beans? It's in here. There's even a recipe for a Pinto Bean Fruit Cake, though I think I'll pass.
I recommend this book for a great breadth of knowledge while keeping it entertaining to read. I found my copy at the local library, check it out!
RSS Feed