Anasazi bean

Phaseolus vulgaris · Legume

40 pairings

The Anasazi bean is an heirloom cultivar of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, recognised by its striking two-tone seed coat — burgundy-maroon blotches splashed across a creamy white ground, like a tiny painted pinto. Grown in the dry Four Corners country of the American Southwest, it is a sweet, mild, mealy bean that cooks faster than most dried beans and is marketed as easier on the digestion.

Picking a good onedrag

Sharp maroon on off-whiteDamp, musty or holed

Cupboard stockThe soup, chili, refried and bean-pot bean, and a drop-in for pinto. Soaked and boiled hard in fresh water first, then simmered right through to soft.Everyday best

The mottlePattern still high-contrast, the ground gone a shade creamier

Whole seedsA few chipped coats and a stray loose skin, the rest intact

In the handHard right through, the chatter a little flatter

At the mouth of the bagFainter now, papery and clean, nothing sour underneath

What to look for, from sharp maroon on off-white to damp, musty or holed.

Preparing