Reviwe
Characteristics of bean cooking in the world
2017 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 69-79
Details
2017 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 69-79
The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of bean cooking in the world. The countries investigated were mainly selected by high bean consumption by citizens （an average of over 3.5 kg/year）, bean-consumption data having been published in the "World statistics 2017". Other countries were also selected by their research importance. Totally 21 countries or cultural regions were selected for research concerning bean cooking.
86 cook books from all these countries were collected and used as reference books in this study. The recipes involving beans as an ingredient were investigated in each book and 1192 total recipes were found.
Detailed data in each recipe, such as species of beans used, the style (e.g. whole or cut) of beans during cooking, seasonings, spices and pot herbs used, were input into Excel. And a database and cross tabulation were made. The characteristics of bean dishes in 21 countries or cultural regions were revealed through the analyses.
The kinds of beans used for bean dishes vary according to world regions. Soybeans are used only in East Asian countries, mainly in Japan, Korea and China. Chickpeas and lentils are mainly used in West Asia and surrounding areas. Black beans are used mainly in Mexico and Latin America.
Beans prepared for consumption fall into four general styles: whole beans (predominant in most countries), chopped or sliced beans, bean pastes and purees (most common in three Asian countries) and sprouts.
The study of seasoning methods for various bean dishes was also conducted. Spices such as pepper, chili, coriander and cumin, are mainly used globally for the seasoning of bean dishes. But in three Asian countries, seasonings such as soy sauce, miso, sake and mirin are more commonly used and the use of other spices is minimum.
Beans are cooked by simmering in curries, stews and soups. In addition, beans are often ingredients in salads. A bean-paste dish called hummus, in which beans are mashed and seasoned, are often found in Middle Eastern countries.
