Azuki Beans [Azuki, Adzuki (Japan); Xiao Dou (China); Vigna angularis]
These small red beans (say "aZOOky") are native to Asia and grown primarily in China, Japan and Thailand. They are most known in the U.S. for their use in Japanese cooking, particularly for sweet bean paste and for sprouting. There is said to be a black variety but I have not yet confirmed that those are not actually Urad beans.

Azuki beans are similar in size and shape to Mung beans but somewhat sweeter. Whole beans should be soaked at least 6 hours before cooking. They will be done after simmering for one hour but remain fairly firm.

Cowpeas - [Vigna unguiculata]
Cowpeas are very important crops in the drier areas of the tropics, particularly in Africa and India. They tolerate poor soil and rather dry conditions compared to other beans. They are shade tolerant so can be interplanted with corn and other grain crops. This is very important because their protein profile complements that of grains, the two making up for each other's shortcomings in human nutrition.

Moth Beans, Moth Dal
These very tiny beans and their dal provide an unusual texture and an earthy flavor making them popular in India. 1 cup of dried moth beans will need 1-3/4 cups of soaking water. Soak 6 hours.

Mung Beans [Moong (India), V. radiata]
Native to South Asia from Pakistan through Bangladesh, these small squarish beans are now widely grown in East Asia and around the world. The dark green beans are most familiar to Americans as the source for the common bean sprout, but they are much more important as dried beans and dal in India. Mung beans are also the bean used to make transparent bean thread noodles popular in East Asian cooking as well as bean jelly and many desert dishes.

Pictured are the whole beans and the split and peeled form (dal). Indian markets also often have this bean in split but unpeeled form and sometimes in whole peeled form. The dal is easily recognized because it's more yellow than the dal of similar beans. The photo specimen whole beans are about 0.2 inches long and 0.15 inches diameter.   Details and Cooking.

Red Chori - [Vigna angularis?]
Most listings equate Red Chori and Azuki Beans but I find these small reddish beans grown primarily in India different enough to list separately. They are lighter in color and less shiny than the Azuki and cook up softer with a more mellow flavor. They are very similar in size and shape to Mung Beans and Urad Beans but are less comon and more expensive.

Red chori whole beans and chori dal (peeled and split) are used in India similarly to Mung and Urad beans, Whole beans should be soaked at least 6 hours and will need about 2-1/2 cups of water. One cup dry will yield about 3-1/2 cups soaked. soaked beans will be fully cooked in 45 minutes.

Urad Beans - [Black Gram, Black Lentils, White Lentils (India); V. mungo]
These small black beans native to India are the same size and shape as the familiar Mung Bean, and are one of the more important beans/dals in India.

Urad beans are sold in three forms, whole (Urad, Black Gram), Split, and split and peeled (Urad Dal, White Lentils). Whole beans take at least a stunning 12 hours of soaking time. 1 cup requires about 2-1/2 cup of water and you'll end up with 3-1/2 cups of soaked beans. Soaked beans will be tender in less than 3/4 hour, unsoaked beans will take about 1-1/4 hours to become tender but may not stay as intact as soaked beans.   Details and Cooking

Chana (Desi type) - [Bengal Chickpeas, Kala Chana, Chana Dal, Bengal Gram (India); Shimbra (Ethiopia)]
One of the most important crops in India, these chickpeas are closer to the wild chickpeas of southeastern Turkey than are the familiar Mediterranean (Kabuli) type. Desi is the preferred type for growing in hotter regions.

Shown in the photo are red and green varieties along with Chana Dal (split and peeled chana) and Besam or Gram Flour (chickpea flour ground from the dal). Dal is used more than the whole peas because it cooks much faster, important in a fuel poor country. The red peas in the photo were around 1/4 inch in diameter and weighed about 155 to an ounce, the green slightly smaller. Details and Cooking.

Chickpeas (Kabuli type) - [Garbanzo (Spanish); Kabuli Chana (India); Ceci (Italy); Chiche (France); Hommes, Hamaz (Arab); Nohud, Lablabi (Turkey)]
These are the large light colored chickpea so familiar in the Mediterranian region, the Near East and North America. They were not introduced into India until the 18th century and came there through Afghanistan, thus named for the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Kabuli is the preferred type for growing in more temperate climates. The photo shows dried peas on the left, fresh pods top right and freshly shelled peas on the lower right. The dried peas in the photo were about 3/8 inch in diameter and weighed about 50 to an ounce.   Details and Cooking.

Dalia - [Dalia (Gurarati); Pappulu, Bhuna Chana] This is actually Chana Dal roasted in special kilns. It is soft and often eaten as a snack in India, but may be a little chalky for American tastes. It is often crushed fine for use as a thickener in curries and chutneys.

Black Beans - [Turtle bean, Frijole Negro]
Essential to the cooking of Southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Their earthy flavor invites strong seasonings and in Mexico's Yucatan region they are often seasoned with the powerful herb Epezota.

Cannellini Beans - [White Kidney bean, Fazolia bean]
A very popular bean in Italy and called for in many recipes. The beans in the photo were (to assure authenticity) grown in Italy so were horrifyingly overpriced.

Cranberry Beans
Another bean very popular in Italy. Again, to assure authenticity I paid a price I'd rather forget for beans actually grown in Italy. Shipping beans across the broad Pacific from China makes them cheaper, shipping across the Atlantic makes them 6 to 8 times the price (yeah, sure).

Dragon Tongue Beans
These are a varigated variety of Romano bean. Clearly the photo specimens have been too long on the shelf, so why didn't I wait for fresh ones? This sort of stuff is only put on the shelf when a newly remodeled supermarket opens - to impress the rubes with how much better it is now. After opening week you'll never see them again. Basically, they taste just like green romano beans so why would anone want to pay three times as much for them?

Great Northern Beans - [White Beans]
A medium size (0.5 to 0.6 inch long dried) white bean mildly flavored and reasonably firm. It's used for many North American bean recipes and as a substitute for the smaller Navy Beans in Boston baked beans. These beans are ideal for providing volume and a background for other flavors, but if you want to feature bean flavor use red or pink beans. Pre-soak 8-hrs, cook 1-1/4 hr (2-1/2 hours if not pre-soaked).

Green Beans, round - [String beans, Snap beans]
"Green Beans" aren't always green, as you can see from the photo specimens. The dark purple ones are fine raw in salads but if you are going to cook them don't pay extra for the color - they come out green. The yellow ones do remain yellow though. .

Kidney Bean, Red - [Rajma (India)]
This fairly large bean is one of the most popular New World beans all around the world. The photo shows very dark, standard and light varieties, and yes, that's our "standard bean" at the top just left of center. Kidney beans run about 0.68 inch long dried. The light and very dark ones came from an Indian market but the standard ones are sold everywhere. Both standard and light are available canned.

A cup of dried beans weighing just under 1/2 pound soaked overnight will weigh 1 pound, which will be the cooked weight. Cooked volume will be 3 cups. Cooking time for presoaked beans varies from 1-1/2 hour to 3 hours, or even more. I had a batch of the darkest red that would not become really tender in 8 hours.

Kidney Bean, White - see Canellini Beans.

Navy Bean - [White bean, Boston bean, pea bean = haricot blanc, fagioli]
This name usually refers to a dried pure white bean about about .312 inch long which is substantially smaller than the Great Northern but similarly mild in flavor. These are the traditional bean for Boston Baked Beans. Navy beans are ideal to provide volume and act as a transport for featured flavors other than the beans. If you're featuring bean flavor, use red or pink beans. Pre-soak 6-8 hrs, cook 1 hr (2 hrs if not pre-soaked).

Peruvian Bean - [Canaria bean, Maicoba bean, Azufrado bean]
This medium size bean can easily be told from white beans by it's smooth shiny plumpness and distinctly greenish cast.

Pink Beans
Pink beans taste a lot like Red Beans, but in our tests they cooked a bit faster and broke up a lot more, inicating they have thinner skins so are ideal for purés and other recipes where the beans will be broken up. Pink beans have a deeper bean flavor than White Beans so whites are better as a neutral background and pink for more intense bean flavor. Presoak 8 hrs, cook 1-1/4 hrs (2-1/2 hrs if not pre-soaked).

Pinto Bean - []
This bean is most familiar from Southwest/Mexican cooking - for "refried beans" bean buritos, and the like. When cooked it loses its mottled color and becomes a uniform pinkish color but has good strong bean flavor. Presoak 8 hours - 1 cup beans needs about 1-3/4 cups of water and will yield 2-1/2 cups of soaked beans.

Red Beans

Red beans have a much deeper bean flavor than white beans and are good for recipes featuring beans. In my tests red beans were much firmer in the same cooking time as the similar tasting Pink Beans inicating reds have tougher skins, so use pink beans for purés or where beans are broken up and red where firmer individual beans are desired. Pre-soak 8 hrs, cook 1-1/4 hrs (if not pre-soaked, cook 2-1/2 hours).

Romano Bean - [Italian Flat Bean]
In the U.S. Romano Beans are almost always sold as a green "snap beans", though yellow and purple varieties exist. Flavor is a little different from the round and flat string beans but not so much as to prevent substitution - just be careful not to overcook as romanos can become mushy. These beans can, of course, be allowed to mature and dry but there's no point as there are plenty of other average white beans. As green beans romanos fetch a premium price. The photo specimens are above average in size, the largest being 11-1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide and weighing just over 1 ounce. Despite the size they were still quite tender.

Black Lentils - [Beluga lentil]
These tiny lentils are similar to Puy Lentils but are smaller and most are black rather than mottled, though a few mottled ones are likely to be in the batch. They hold their shape well and become shiny black when cooked, thus the name "beluga" after the black caviar. They are particularly used as an ingredient in salads and soups. As with many other lentils there are large and small varieties (actually small and really small). The photo samples are a really small varity, about 0.12 inch / 3.0 mm diameter.

Brown Lentils - [Brewer Lentils, U.S. Regular, Green Lentil, Continental Lentil]
This is your common grocery store lentil in the USA, available in several sizes. It is most sold whole but also in the peeled and split form which is a medium yellow color and called "Yellow Lentils". The photo shows regular and small sizes, about 0.24 inch / 6.1 mm and 0.19 inch / 4.8 mm diameter, with the split and peeled form in between. If you pre-soak whole lentils use 2 cups water to 1 cup lentils and soak for about 3 hours. Do not presoak hulled and/or split lentils.

Egyptian Lentils
An inexact term but usually refering to either Masoor Dal or Red Lentil, but sometimes to others including Brown Lentils. The photo shows the difference in size between red lentils (left) and masoor dal (right). Of course masoor will cook faster but otherwise they are pretty interchangeable.

Masoor
Similar to the Red Lentil but much smaller. It is sold whole, peeled and peeled and split (masoor dal). Masoor dal is often cooked mixed with rice because the cooking time is about the same. If a recipe calls for masoor to be soaked at all it probably means whole masoor, otherwise proably dal. Cooked masoor dal will turn a bright yellow color as will red lentils. Size is about 0.15 inch / 3.8 mm diameter. Subst: Red Lentils (larger, cook a touch longer).

Pardina Lentils - [Spanish Brown]
While grown as a significant crop in the U.S. and Canada the largest portion of production is exported to Spain where these lentils are popular.

Puy Lentils - [French green lentil; Verte du Puy (France)]
These small greenish brown mottled lentils from Puy France are now grown in North America and Italy, but are still found mainly in gourmet outlets at high prices. They are often used in salads and soups because they stay firm and intact when cooked. The photo specimens are about 0.19 inch / 4.8 mm diameter. Subst:Puy Lentils don't interchange well with Brown Lentils which don't stay firm but Black lentils, which seem closely related, are a good substitute.

Red Lentils - []
These lentils are similar to Masoor but larger. The most popular cultivar in the U.S. and Canada is Red Chief. They are almost always sold peeled and split to show off their salmon color. Cooked red lentils will be a bright yellow color as will masoor dal. Size is about 0.24 inch / 6.1 mm diameter. Subst: Masoor dal (smaller, cooks faster).

Tarahumara Pinks
A lentil from Mexico with mottled seeds, grown in semi-arid regions.

White Lentils (India) are not lentils at all, but rather the split and peeled Urad Bean

Yellow Lentils are the peeled and split form of the regular Brown Lentil.

Lima Bean - Large Seed - [P. lunatus var. limensis (formerly P. Limensis)]
Possibly originating in Venezuela and brought to the U.S. from Peru, these beans were once the largest agricultural crop in California but have been in decline - undeservedly in my opionion. "Fordhook" is the dominant variety. These beans are widely grown but most production is in California due to ideal weather. Available dried, frozen or canned (previously dried). The photo shows dried and frozen fordhooks with our famous dried red kidney bean for scale. The top center bean was 1.05 inches long, 0.75 inches high and 0.4 inches thick.

Lima Bean - Small Seed - [Sieva bean, Butterbean Rangooni Val / Flat Val (India), P. lunatus var. lunonnus]
Probably originating in Guatemala, these were brought to North America in pre-Columbian times and are grown mainly in the U.S. Southern States. The seed is much smaller and flatter than the California Fordhook and may be streaked with red or purple (Christmas, Florida Speckled, Jackson Wonder). There is a variety called "Butter Pea" which is shaped more like a pea than a bean. Locally available fresh.

Butter Bean - [Lima Bean, P. lunatus var. lunonnus]
This is actually the same as "Lima Bean - Small Seed" above but a purple - tan mottled variety marketed frozen as "Butter Beans" to differentiate them from the green varieties. The flavor is pretty much the same. The photo specimens were previously frozen and measure from 1/2 inch to 7/8 inches long.

Lima Bean - "Baby"
This is a confused term. These are not actually babies but are fully mature beans. Most are cultivar Henderson or derivatives but there are also dwarf versions of Fordhook (thicker seed). The orignal Henderson, a small seed lima, was found growing by a roadside in Virginia but most commercial production of "baby limas" is now in California. Henderson derivatives Thorogreen and Thaxter predominate along with some dwarf Fordhooks. Available frozen, dried or canned (previously dried).

Austrian Winter Peas - []
A rather small dark brown mottled pea grown as a minor crop in Canada. They are a popular ingredient in pigeon food which is where those in the photo came from. Size dry 100 to 160 miligrams, about 0.22 inch.

Green Peas - [English Peas, Garden Peas]
English peas were once popular with home gardeners but have been largely abandoned due to low yield in today's smaller gardens, but they are extensively grown and marketed commercially.

As shown in the photo they are sold fresh in the pod, dried, and peeled and split (dal). They are also sold canned (an abomination, but necessary to accurately reproduce Soviet era Russian recipes), but the greatest volume is sold fresh frozen, second best to fresh from the pod. Mature fresh English peas are about 0.4 inch diameter and the pods are commonly 4-1/2 to 5 inches long. Yield from a pound of fresh pods is roughly 5.4 ounces (33%). Dried size is about 0.25 inch depending on variety. 1 cup dried needs 2-1/2 cups of water and at least 8 hours of soaking time.

Kala Vatana - [Black Peas]
These peas are called "Vatana" (Gujarati) rather than "Matar" (Hindi) because that's the word for peas in Gujarati and these peas are little known outside the states of Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra on the west coast of India. Actually "matar" is the Marathi word for peas so perhaps the Maharashtrians consider them an import.

I've had no trouble buying these peas but I haven't been able to find any information on them except recipes so I'm not absolutely sure they belong under P. sativum. In any case, when soaked they taste very much like soaked green peas. These peas are exported as whole dry peas only, do not readily peel or split, and will remain firm no matter how long you cook them. They are often sprouted before cooking so as to be less firm but my samples didn't sprout evenly. Subst: a person very familiar with these peas was happy with Puy Lentils as a substitute.

Maple Peas - [Black Peas, Carlin Peas, Brown Badgers]
These dark brown mottled peas are cooked and eaten in Lancashire county, England and not much anywhere else. They are commonly provided by mobile food vendors at fairs and other events as "Black Peas", sometimes served in cups with a little vinegar. Even in Lancashire they are of uneven availability, mostly in October and November, but are also grown in Canada as a minor crop. Boiled maple peas are considered a top carp bait in England where carp fishing is popular. The photo specimens, sorted from a bag of racing pigeon food, are about 0.25 inch / 6.4 mm, 240 to 260 mg. NOTE: Wikipedia and sites using info from there say Lancashire Black Peas are the toxic Lathyrus niger which is very wrong.

Marrowfat Peas - []
These olive green peas, somewhat larger than green peas, are cooked up into a lumpy green paste in Northern England and served as "Mushy Peas", often with fish and chips or as part of the snack "Pie and Peas". They may also be served in cups with mint sauce as a snack at fairs and events. These peas are also grown as a minor crop in Canada. Size dry 280 to 400 miligrams. Photo from Pulse Canada.

Pea Shoots - []
Pea sprouts are often used in stir fries in China and are now a feature in California cuisine as well. They are available at farmer's markets and in markets serving an Oriental community.

Snap Peas - [Sugar Snap, Macrocarpon group]
These are edible pod peas but thick and round rather than flat as the Snow Pea is. They have become popular not only for their good taste, raw or lightly cooked but with gardeners because edible yield is so much greater than English peas. Just trim off the stem end and the rest is 100% edible. Individual peas are 0.35 to 0.4 inch diameter and the pods are generally about 3 to 3-1/2 inches long. The pod is sweeter than that of the Snow Pea.

Snow Peas - [Sugar Pea; Pois mange tout (France); hé lán dòu, shih chia wan tou, ta li wan tou (Mandarin); sic kap woon dou (Cantonese); no laan tau (Hong Kong); saya-endo (Japan); Macrocarpon group]
These edible pod peas are harvested when the pod is still very flat and the seeds very immature. They are most used in stir fry dishes associated with American Chinese cuisine but less used in China.

Yellow Peas - [Canada Peas, Pisum sativum typically cultivars like Century, Lenca. Miranda, Paloma]
This pea is a lighter colored variety of the green field pea and tends to be grown in the more northern climates. It is traditional for use in Scandanavian pea soup and in French Canadian pea soup, but for authentic French Canadian soup you must use whole yellow peas, not split. Some report difficulty finding whole peas but I've found them easily in markets serving Indian and Russian communities, though the photo specimens were sorted out of a bag of pigeon food. NOTE: Wikipedia and sites getting their information from Wikipedia list Yellow Peas as toxic Lathyrus aphaca which is wrong - see Yellow Vetchling.

Black Pea - [Black Bitter Vetch, Lathyrus niger]
This plant is NOT the Black Pea eaten at fairs in Lancashire county, England, nor is it the Carlin Peas eaten nearby. It is listed here because Wikipedia mistakenly lists Maple Peas as Lathyrus niger which is wrong, and other sites have copied that information. The pods turn black when mature and the seeds are tiny and should not be eaten as they are fairly high in neurotoxins.

Grass Pea - [khesari (India), guaya (Ethiopia), blue sweet pea, chickling vetch, Indian pea, Indian vetch, white vetch, almorta / alverj˘n (Spain), cicerchia (Italy), Lathyrus sativus]
Grass Pea grows well under drought conditions and is sometimes the only food available in parts of Ethiopia, Pakistan, India and Nepal. It is neutritious and high in protein but contains a neurotoxin that causes paralysis, particularly of the legs. People in affected areas can either die now of starvation or risk living the rest of their lives as cripples, not a comfortable choice.

The neurotoxin is not highly dangerous unless grass pea is a major part of the diet for a period of time (30% to 40% for 2 to 6 months). That is fortunate because in India and Nepal grass pea is often used as a cheap adulterant in pigeon peas (Toor / Tuvar) or Bengal chick peas (Chana). This is often as a dal (peeled and split) which is more difficult to detect than with whole grass peas, or as flour (besan) which is just about impossible to detect.

It is certain grass pea will continue to be used as human food because nothing else grows satisfactorily under the same conditions, so scientists are working to breed and distribute low neurotoxin varieties.

Yellow Vetchling - [Yellow Pea, Yellow-flowered Pea, Lathyrus aphaca]
This plant is not significant for food but listed here because Wikipedia mistakenly lists Yellow Peas as Lathyrus aphaca which is wrong, and other sites have copied this information. This vetchling produces seeds only about 3mm in size and only immature pods should be eaten as mature seeds are fairly high in neurotoxins.