Bean vs. Legume: The Title Throw-down

Okay, John, to answer your question about the "difference between a legume and a bean"? Well, really, there is no difference. “Bean” is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae – thus “legume”), so basically, beans are a subset of legumes.

Legumes are plants that bear pods that split when mature and the pods or seeds are used for food. According to Wikipedia (which I love to use for learning new stuff), although "beans" usually means the seeds of bean plants, it can also mean (especially in the US) the whole young pods of bean plants, which if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether it’s cooked or raw. So the term "green bean" literally means green in the sense of unripe, as the beans inside the green bean pods are really too teeny to be considered a significant part of the cooked fruit.

Bean are considered to be among the most versatile and nutritious foods available. Typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium. And to boot, depending on the type of bean you use, they can be a great source of protein -- a very healthy alternative for meat (which has way more fat and icky cholesterol).

Protein-enriched legumes come either dried or canned, and some of the more common types are azuki (asuki) beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), edamame (new personal favorite), fava beans (I hear they go well with chianti), lentils, lima beans (aka butter beans), red kidney beans (mmm, chili), and soy nuts (yuck).

So there you go. And thanks for the question! I can hardly wait to break out my new bean small talk at the next cocktail party.

k2