Here you will find a whole range of recipes incorporating beans from the ancient world to modern times. Just about every civilization and culture has recipes using beans as they can be dried and stored over winter. Beans are also a survival food and an excellent source of protein in conjunction with staples such as maize, wheat, barley, millet etc. For this reason many of the bean recipes given originate in Africa and South America, though I have bean and bean-associated recipes listed here from all corners of the globe.

I am using a fairly broad definition of 'bean' here. Effectively I am including all pulses, raw bean pods, lentils and peas. Basically members of the Fabaceae family of flowering plants that produce pods or seeds that are edible by humans. This included beans such as broad (fava) beans, haricot (navy) beans, cannellini beans, barlotti beans, adzuki beans, haricot beans etc; string beans, mangetout, fine beans (where the unripe pods are edible); peas; and lentils. There are also beans grown primarily for oil extraction (soy beans) and beans that are fermented to to make condiments (such as African locust beans).

In almost all instances, human farming started with grains, but all grains are deficient in the essential amino acid, Lysine (maize is in addition, deficient in tryptophan). This is one of the reasons that despite higher availability of food, the health of the first farmers declined in comparison with their hunter-gatherer antecedents. Legumes are generally deficient in Methionine, but have plenty of lysine. So, if you combine grains and legumes in the diet you have a complete source of amino acids. Interestingly, common nuts are deficient in both Methionine and Lysine, so you would need a diet of nuts, legumes and grains to get complete amino acid intake. This is why, once legumes were introduced to the first farmers' diets, health improved significantly. This is why, all over the world, there is a bean and grain staple that has often led to the rise of major civilizatons (rice and dhal on India; maize and beans in Mesoamerica; wheat or oats/barley and Celtic beans in Europe; sorghum, millet or teff and beans in Africa; rice and beans in Asia).

The recipes given here are sourced from around the world, and give a broad view of bean-based dishes globally. There are also more modern recipes using bean-based flours as a base for gluten-free dishes. Beans also have a very log glycaemic index compared with may other foods so beans and bean flours are excellent for anyone on a low GI diet.

The alphabetical list of all the bean-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 936 recipes in total:

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Abgousht (Persian Beef Stew)      Origin: Iran	Arroz al Horno con Perdiz (Baked Rice with Garlic)      Origin: Spain	Banana Peel and Black-eyed Bean Stew      Origin: Tanzania
Abrabang      Origin: Palau	Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice and Beans with Sofrito)      Origin: Puerto Rico	Bananas with Split Green Peas      Origin: Rwanda
Abura-miso      Origin: Japan	Arroz con Menestra y Carne (Rice with Meat in Stew)      Origin: Ecuador	Bandeja Paisa (Paisa Platter)      Origin: Colombia
Achapa (Walnut Lobio)      Origin: Abkhazia	Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Saffron Rice)      Origin: Spain	Barbecued Tofu      Origin: Fusion
Adalu (Bean and Sweetcorn Pottage)      Origin: Nigeria	Arroz con Pollo Guatemalteco (Chicken with Rice, Guatemalan Style)      Origin: Guatemala	Basic Dhokla (Basic Steamed Rice and Dhal Cake)      Origin: India
Adas Polo (Rice with Lentils)      Origin: Iran	Asado de Tenera (Roast Veal)      Origin: Spain	Batar Da'an (Maize, Mung Bean and Squash Stew)      Origin: East Timor
Adowè (Mashed Beans)      Origin: Togo	Ash Guznh Mazndrana (Mazandarani Style Nettle Soup)      Origin: Iran	Bean and Almond Salad      Origin: South Africa
Adzuki Beans with Nori      Origin: Japan	Asheh Mast (Persian Herb and Yoghurt Soup)      Origin: Iran	Bean and Gari Loaf      Origin: Ghana
Ahi Poke Bowl      Origin: Hawaii	Aşure (Noah's Pudding)      Origin: Northern Cyprus	Bean and Wild Mushroom Stew      Origin: Britain
Ahi Poke Bowl      Origin: Kiribati	Atar Alecha (Spiced Split Green Peas)      Origin: Ethiopia	Bean Foogath      Origin: India
Akara (Black-eyed Pea Fritters)      Origin: Nigeria	Atar Allecha (Spiced Green Pea Purée)      Origin: Egypt	Bean Goulash with Beef      Origin: Czech
Akara Seke-pu (Bean and Melon Seed Fritters)      Origin: Nigeria	Authentic Gochujang      Origin: Korea	Beans and Bananas      Origin: Burundi
Akkra Funfun      Origin: Benin	Authentic Mexican Quesadilla      Origin: Mexico	Beans Gravy      Origin: Liberia
Al-Aïch (Chicken, Beans and Couscous)      Origin: Mauritania	Avocado Leaf Flavoured Bean Stew      Origin: Fusion	Beans with Artichokes and Olives      Origin: Britain
Alitcha Birsen      Origin: Eritrea	Aw Lahm (Lao Stew)      Origin: Laos	Beans With Rum      Origin: Montserrat
Aliter Fabaciae (Green Beans, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Ayimonlou (Togolese Rice and Beans)      Origin: Togo	Beans with Tomatoes, Onions and Green Bell Pepper      Origin: Zambia
Aliter Faseolus Sive Cicer (Broad Beans or Chickpeas, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Ayimonlou et N'gbagba (Togolese Rice and Beans with N'gbagba)      Origin: Togo	Bébélé (Tripe and Plantain Stew)      Origin: Guadeloupe
Aliter Lenticulam (Lentils, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Azevias de Grão (Sweet Chickpea Pockets)      Origin: Portugal	Bedmi Puri      Origin: India
Aliter Pisam Sive Faba (Peas or Broad Beans, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Azinkokoui aux Bloms (Azinkokoui with Blom Sausages)      Origin: Togo	Beef and Bean Chimichangas      Origin: America
Aliter pisam sive fabam (Broad Beans and/or Split Peas)      Origin: Roman	Baajiya (Somali Black-eyed Pea Fritters)      Origin: Somalia	Beef and Dhal Curry      Origin: India
Aliter porros III (Salad of Leeks with Broad Beans)      Origin: Roman	Baghali Polo (Persian Dill Rice)      Origin: Iran	Beef Burritos      Origin: America
Aloo Muttar      Origin: Britain	Baghali Shevid Polow (Lima Bean with Dill Rice)      Origin: Iran	Beef Enchiladas      Origin: Britain
Alu ko Achhar (Potatoes with Split Peas)      Origin: Nepal	Bahamian Crab and Rice      Origin: Saint Barthelemy	Beignets de Niebé (Cowpea Fritters)      Origin: Mali
Alubias Blancas Con Almejas (White Beans with Clams)      Origin: Spain	Bahki Kufta (Chickpea and Wheat Balls Stuffed with Peanut Butter)      Origin: Armenia	Belizean Chicken Breakfast      Origin: Belize
Alubias blancas con calamar y aceite de romero (White Beans with Squid and Rosemary Oil)      Origin: Spain	Baianas (Baian Beans)      Origin: Roman	Belizean Rice and Beans      Origin: Belize
Amashaza mu gitoke (Peas with Plantains)      Origin: Uganda	Bajiy (Red Lentil Fritters)      Origin: Somalia	Benes y Fryed (Medieval Fried Beans)      Origin: England
Ambrevades au Curry (Pigeon Pea and Coconut Curry)      Origin: Comoros	Bajiyoo (Djibouti Pulse Dumplings)      Origin: Djibouti	Beninese Jollof Rice      Origin: Benin
Ambrocal      Origin: Seychelles	Bak Kut Teh (Spicy Sparerib Soup)      Origin: Malaysia	Bermuda Peas n' Rice      Origin: Bermuda
Amritsar Fish and Chips      Origin: India	Baked Beans Salad      Origin: Namibia	Besan Ladoo      Origin: India
Andhra Pappu Charu (Andhra-style Lentil Puree Curry)      Origin: India	Baked Beans with Nigerian Seasonings      Origin: African Fusion	Bhuna Kedgeree      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Anguillan Rice and Peas      Origin: Anguilla	Baked Chicken Chimichangas      Origin: America	Bhuna Khichuri      Origin: Bangladesh
Arancini di Riso (Rice 'Oranges')      Origin: Italy	Baked Tilapia with Pineapple and Black Beans      Origin: Costa Rica	Big Bowl Chili      Origin: American
Armjanskij sup chechevicy (Armenian Lentil Soup)      Origin: Armenia	Baleadas Hondureñas      Origin: Honduras
Arni me Fasolia (Lamb with Haricot Beans)      Origin: Cyprus	Banana and Chickpea Vegan Sheek Kebab      Origin: Britain

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