Cooking Dried Beans, Peas and Lentils
History and Nutrients
Legumes, particularly dried beans and peas, have part of the American diet from a very early time. Long before the Europeans arrived, beans had been a standard crop of the North American Indian. The northeastern tribes grew the white pea beans while tribes in the southwest grew the red kidney and pinto beans. Beans and peas are well represented in regional foods today, from Boston baked bean to chili. In the far north the acceptance of dried beans, peas and lentils has been a more recent occurrence. The many legume dishes that come to us now are often reflections of another culture. We expect beans in a wide variety of ways with Mexican foods. We see many lentil dishes in Greek and Mediterranean cooking. The soy bean is widely used in Asia. We hope Alaskans can use all of these beans and peas.