[Sca-cooks] Kidney Beans

[Laureen Hart]

Was "Kidney Bean" a generic term, like "Corn"?
Black eyed peas are not particularly kidney shaped, but neither are Kidneys.
I am not familiar with asparagus beans.

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From: Sca-cooks <sca-cooks-bounces+lhart=graycomputer.com at lists.ansteorra.org> on behalf of Terry Decker <t.d.decker at att.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 8:32 AM
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Still Alive?

I'm curious as to the kidney beans you use.  The Cuoco Napoletano dates to the end on the 15th Century and was likely written down before Columbus arrived in the Americas.  As genus Phaseolus is of New World origin, it is likely that what is being referenced is not what we call "kidney beans."  In this period, kidney bean generally refers members of genus Vigna of African origin long used in Mediterranean cooking, cowpeas, black-eyed peas, and asparagus beans.  A visual reference in Carracci's painting, The Bean Eater.

Bear