Best Bean

Pupusas de frijol are a traditional Salvadoran dish consisting of thick, handmade corn tortillas stuffed with a savory filling of seasoned refried beans. The pupusa was officially declared the national dish of El Salvador in 2005. They are traditionally cooked on a hot griddle until lightly browned...

Pasulj is a traditional bean soup or stew from the Balkan region, particularly associated with Serbian cuisine. Its primary ingredients are white beans, onions, and paprika, often supplemented with smoked pork products such as ribs or sausage for flavoring. The dish is commonly prepared as a slow-co...

Feijão tropeiro is a traditional Brazilian dish from the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, consisting of beans mixed with toasted cassava flour, various types of pork, and scrambled eggs. Historically, the dish was created as a durable, high-energy trail food for "tropeiros," the 18th-century mu...

Grah is a traditional Balkan bean stew whose name translates simply to "bean" in Croatian, reflecting its status as a regional dietary staple. The dish is prepared by simmering white beans with root vegetables like carrots and onions, alongside cured meats such as smoked pork ribs or sausages. A thi...

Ajapsandali is a traditional Georgian and broader Caucasian vegetable stew, highly popular as a summer dish. The recipe consists of core ingredients such as diced eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, and bell peppers, which are slowly simmered together. The dish is heavily seasoned with fresh chopped cila...

Congrí is a traditional Cuban rice and bean dish consisting of white rice cooked together with red beans, onions, garlic, and seasonings such as cumin and bay leaf. It is closely related to moros y cristianos, which uses black beans rather than red beans, with both dishes reflecting the Afro-Cuban a...

Feijoada à transmontana is a traditional Portuguese stew from the Trás-os-Montes region in northeastern Portugal, made with white beans, various cured pork products including chouriço, morcela (blood sausage), and pork ribs or other cuts. Unlike the more widely known Brazilian feijoada, which typica...

Varivo od graha is a traditional Bosnian bean stew that serves as a staple comfort food throughout the Balkan region. The dish is prepared using white beans, root vegetables such as carrots and onions, and is flavored with smoked meat and generous amounts of paprika. It is traditionally slow-cooked...

Tlacoyos de frijol are a traditional Mexican street food consisting of an oval-shaped masa cake made from nixtamalized corn, sometimes utilizing blue corn. The thick dough is stuffed with a filling of refried beans before being flattened and cooked on a comal, a flat griddle. Unlike tortillas, tlaco...

Tavče gravče is a traditional Macedonian baked bean dish widely recognized as a national dish of North Macedonia. The meal is traditionally prepared using locally grown Tetovo beans, which are slow-cooked in an earthenware pot known as a tavče. The beans are baked with onions, red bell peppers, toma...

Pisarei e faśö is a traditional dish from Piacenza in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It consists of pisarei, small hand-rolled dumplings made from a mixture of flour and breadcrumbs bound with water, served in a slow-cooked sauce of borlotti beans, lard or pancetta, onion, and tomato. The dish...

Prebranac is a Serbian baked bean dish made primarily from white beans and a substantial quantity of slowly cooked onions. The ingredients are seasoned, commonly with paprika and bay leaf, then baked until the beans are tender and the surface develops a concentrated, lightly crusted texture; traditi...

Frijoles de la olla are Mexican beans simmered in water until tender, traditionally in an earthenware pot called an olla. Preparations commonly use pinto, black, or other regional beans with restrained seasoning such as onion, garlic, salt, or epazote, although recipes vary by household and region....

Solterito is a cold salad from the Arequipa region of Peru, traditionally prepared with broad beans (habas), choclo (Peruvian corn), cubed fresh cheese (queso fresco), olives, onions, and tomatoes. The ingredients are dressed with lime juice, olive oil, and seasonings. The salad's name, meaning "lit...

Jota is a traditional, hearty stew characteristic of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy and neighboring areas of Slovenia. The dish reflects the historical culinary cross-pollination of Central Europe and the Mediterranean, utilizing staple local ingredients like borlotti beans, potatoes, and...

Kaleh Joosh is a traditional Iranian soup from the Isfahan region, notable for featuring kashk, a fermented whey product, combined with chickpeas and mint oil.

Ibiharage is a traditional Rwandan dish consisting of red kidney beans slow-cooked in palm oil with onions and spices, serving as an essential daily source of protein across the nation.

Habichuelas guisadas is a savory stewed bean dish that serves as a cornerstone of daily cuisine in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The preparation typically utilizes pink or red beans simmered in a rich sauce base of sofrito, which consists of garlic, onions, peppers, and herbs like culantro...

Chakalaka is a spicy vegetable relish originating from South Africa, specifically developed in the townships of Johannesburg by migrant workers. The dish is made by simmering grated carrots, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and baked beans in a curry-spiced tomato base. It provides a spicy contrast to...

Pasulj is a traditional Serbian and Balkan soup or stew made primarily from white beans simmered with smoked meats. Common meat additions include smoked pork ribs, bacon, or sausages, which infuse the beans with a deep, savory flavor. The broth is typically seasoned with a base of caramelized onions...

Panissa vercellese is a traditional rice and bean dish from Vercelli in Piedmont, northern Italy. It consists of Arborio or Carnaroli rice cooked with borlotti beans, salame della duja (a local pork salami preserved in lard), onions, and sometimes local Barbera or Bonarda red wine. The dish originat...

Samp consists of dried maize kernels that have been coarsely crushed or broken down, rather than ground into a fine meal. It serves as a fundamental staple food in South Africa, where it holds significant cultural importance in Xhosa and Zulu culinary traditions. The grain is frequently simmered slo...

A South African stew of samp and sugar beans cooked together until tender, umngqusho is a traditional Xhosa staple widely known as Nelson Mandela's favorite dish, reportedly served at his presidential inauguration dinner.

Ender's Shadow is a 1999 science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card that parallels the events of his earlier novel 'Ender's Game' from the perspective of Bean, a small but exceptionally intelligent child who becomes one of Ender's key lieutenants at Battle School. The novel explores Bean's background...

Fasole bătută is a Romanian dish of mashed white beans seasoned with garlic and fried onions. The beans are cooked until soft, then puréed or beaten to a smooth consistency and enriched with oil. It is commonly served as an appetizer or side dish, often accompanied by bread, sliced onions, or pickle...

Feijão à Transmontana is a Portuguese bean stew associated with Trás-os-Montes in northeastern Portugal. It combines beans with cabbage and several pork products, which may include ribs, sausages, cured meat, or other regional preparations. The ingredients are simmered into a substantial one-pot mea...

Three Sisters stew is a traditional Native American dish that combines beans, corn, and squash, the three foundational crops of indigenous agriculture in North America. These crops were historically grown together in a mutually beneficial planting system known as the Three Sisters, which provided st...

Grah is a bean soup or stew found in several South Slavic cuisines, including those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. It is generally prepared from dried beans simmered with onions, paprika, and other vegetables, while many versions include smoked pork, ribs, bacon, or saus...

Fasole cu cârnați is a Romanian dish combining cooked white beans with sausages, often smoked, in a thick, savory stew. Common additions include onions, tomato, and seasonings such as bay leaf, thyme, or paprika, although recipes vary by household and region. It is served as a filling everyday meal,...