Overview

The lima bean is the edible seed of Phaseolus lunatus, a legume native to the Americas. It is a flat, kidney-shaped bean that ranges in color from pale green to cream to speckled, with a starchy, buttery texture when cooked. The bean is named for the city of Lima, Peru, where it was known to European colonists by the 16th century.

Origin and history

Phaseolus lunatus is one of two domesticated species of the genus Phaseolus (the other being the common bean, P. vulgaris). Archaeological evidence from the central Andes suggests lima bean cultivation by roughly 8,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest domesticated beans in the Americas [3]. Two distinct gene pools exist: a large-seeded Andean type and a smaller-seeded Mesoamerican type, suggesting independent domestication events in Peru and Mexico or Central America [4]. The name “lima bean” references the Peruvian capital. The alternative name “butter bean” is common in the southern United States and the United Kingdom, referring to the bean’s creamy texture.

Varieties and aliases

  • Pallar (Peru): The large, flat lima bean grown on the Peruvian coast, especially in the Ica and Lambayeque valleys. Used in dishes such as leche de pallar and ceviche trujillano [2].
  • Butter bean: Common name in the U.S. South and the U.K., typically referring to the larger, cream-colored variety.
  • Sieva bean: A smaller, more rounded variety grown in the southeastern United States.

Culinary uses

Lima beans are eaten fresh, dried, or frozen. Fresh or frozen beans require only brief cooking and have a tender, buttery texture. Dried beans require soaking and longer simmering. In Peru, the large pallar is stewed in soups and purees, and is the base for leche de pallar, a sweetened plant milk from the Ica and Lambayeque regions [2]. In the northern Peruvian dish ceviche trujillano, cooked lima beans are served alongside fresh fish and ají mochero chile. In the United States, lima beans appear in succotash (with corn) and in frozen vegetable medleys. In the Philippines, lima beans (called pallang or patani) are cooked in coconut milk or added to stews [1].

Cross-cuisine context

In Filipino cuisine, lima beans are used in ginataang patani (lima beans cooked in coconut milk) and in vegetable stews [1].

Notes for cooks

  • Dried lima beans benefit from overnight soaking and a gentle simmer. Overcooking causes the skins to slip and the interior to turn mushy.
  • Fresh or frozen lima beans cook quickly, in 5 to 10 minutes, and do not need soaking.