Kidney bean
A common bean variety named for its kidney shape.
Raw or undercooked red kidney beans contain a toxin that can cause severe gastrointestinal illness within hours.[1][2] Red kidney beans, a type of legume, require thorough cooking to be safe because raw ones contain a toxin called phytohemagglutinin.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Classification
- Variety of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- Named for
- Resemblance to a human kidney
- Major types
- Red
- light speckled
- red speckled
- white (cannellini)
- Key nutrients
- Rich source of protein
- folate
- copper; moderate thiamine and several minerals
- Toxin
- Phytohemagglutinin (high in raw red kidney beans)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Red kidney beans are known as rajma in India and surkh lobia in Pakistan.[3] In Mexican cuisine, they are a common ingredient in chili con carne.[3] A kidney bean soup called brenebon is served in the Netherlands and Indonesia.[3] In southern Louisiana, red kidney beans are a key ingredient in the traditional Monday Creole dish of red beans and rice.[3]
In La Rioja, Spain, the small variety of kidney beans is known as caparrones.[3] Red kidney beans have a phytohemagglutinin content of 20,000 to 70,000 heagglutinating units, which is much higher than that found in other bean types.[2] To completely eliminate the toxin, the US Food and Drug Administration advises boiling kidney beans for 30 minutes.[1] Using a slow cooker at 80 °C does not denature the toxin and has been linked to food poisoning incidents.[1]
What the cited sources add
The Mother Earth News article specifies that red kidney beans contain 20,000 to 70,000 heagglutinating units of the toxin phytohemagglutinin.[2] It notes that white beans contain about one-third as much toxin, and broad beans only about 5 percent of the amount in red kidney beans.[2] Symptoms of poisoning appear within 1 to 3 hours of eating raw or undercooked beans.[2] It advises using canned or fully pre-cooked kidney beans in slow cooker recipes.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Kidney bean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bad Bug Book (2012)", Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Phytohaemagglutinin, 2012; "Bad Bug Book (2012)", Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Phytohaemagglutinin, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Be Careful With Red Kidney Beans in The Slow Cooker", Mother Earth News. facts only, no text reused. motherearthnews.com
- Wikipedia, "Kidney bean" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Recipe: Soup Brenebon", FAO (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Kidney bean (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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