Beans and Valetudinarian Stomachs

I  had no idea the dried beans were not considered proper people food in the 18th and early 19th century England by the economically comfortable section of the population.  This got me looking more into beans, which I admire from an aesthetic viewpoint as well as the yummy one.

The English were aware they were used in France and by some "poorer, rougher sorts" of folks, but dried beans were not considered healthful as they were a "flatulent food", and simply not valued for the kitchen.   They were valued for animal feed, however, and it was noticed that mangels grown in a field after a crop of beans were bigger.  The field bean I found mentioned so often in old publications valued for stock feed and straw is the Vicia faba, or what is known to me fava bean.    If a bean was used in cooking the variety was what we call a kidney bean.

1837

Beans are nutritious, but, like the preceding vegetable (peas), must be taken but sparingly by valetudinarian stomachs.  Perhaps this was the reason that Pythagoras forbad their use to his disciples; but many speculations have been adventured on the subject.  Some persons affirm that he believed the bean to be the retreat of the soul after death; and there were many superstitions formerly connected with this seed, which was by some nations consecrated to the gods.  Others suppose that the prohibition was founded merely on sanatory principles, and that Pythagoras, like Hippocrates, conceived that beans were unwholesome, and weakened the eyesight. 

 Even in the present day, it has been observed that mental alienations are more frequent during the blossoming of the bean than at other seasons:—a circumstance, however, explicable from the excessive summer heats which about that season usually occur, and not attributable to the bean, although its black flowers were supposed by the signature physicians to be a prophetic mourning for the maladies to ensue.

 Other commentators, however, and with more seeming probability, affirm, that when Pythagoras said, 'abstain from beans,'  lie merely intended to restrict his disciples from intermeddling in political affairs; for it is well known that votes were formerly given by beans: and vestiges of this practice, at least in words, remain with us to the present day.  (White beans were a yes vote and black the no...possibly leading to our current phrase of blackballing someone.)

The meal of the kidney-bean was formerly so much liked in certain parts of Scotland, that Cullen says, the farm-servants would not take a place unless their masters agreed to give them regularly a fixed quantity of it.

Haricot beans are more used on the Continent than in England; they are a good variety, and appear to have given a well-known dish its name, though now, at least, they do not generally form a part of it.

1826 - New England Farmer - BEANS

The only species of beans much used in this country, is that which in England, is called Kidney Bean, and in France, Haricot; (Phaseolus vulgaris.)  The bean of English writers, is what is commonly called here the Horse Bean, (Vicia faba.)

 Considerable confusion has arisen from the indiscriminate use of the term bean, applied as it is, by

some good American writers on agriculture, to two very distinct genera or sorts of plants. The horse-bean (vicia) being tap-rooted, is much used in England as a fallow crop; and probably might be advantageously introduced here. 

White kidney-beans are almost the only kind used for field culture at present.  They require dry land that has been tilled with care, so as to destroy the weeds; and of such fertility as would produce a moderate crop of Indian corn. ...

These images from Wikipedia are of the
Vicia faba, the fava, or horse bean.

When about two thirds of the pods are ripe, and before the frosts, pull and spread them in rows; but they must be turned occasionally at mid-day, that the dampness of the ground
may not mould those underneath. After thrashing, if there are any unripe ones which require more drying, spread them on a clear floor, under cover, till they are thoroughly dried.

White beans will yield from ten to forty bushels to the acre; twenty bushels is called a good crop. 

They are valuable for the table and for stock, particularly for sheep and hogs.

This a  good read, with some skimming :-)

1887 - Baked Beans: A Serio-humorous Medical Paper    This is an informative 20 page paper by a Harvard grad that walks the line between science and twitting the New Englander for their partiality to baked beans.  Interesting comments on the quality of different brands of canned baked beans available!

Links:  

• Golden Preservation Farm 

•  Beans: A History   By Ken Albala