Boston baked beans

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Boston baked beans
Navy beans
Ingredients generally used
VariationsMaine baked beans
crockery in which beans are baked, including a souvenir-style Boston Baked Beans beanpot
Boston brown bread

Boston baked beans are a variety of baked beans, sweetened with molasses, and flavored with salt pork or bacon.[1][2][3]

History

Native Americans had made

Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony learned these recipes in the early 1620s and likely added barley to the corn meal to invent New England brown bread. The triangular trade of slaves in the 18th century helped to make Boston an exporter of rum, which is produced by the distillation
of fermented molasses. At that time, molasses was added to local baked bean recipes, creating a distinctive style of baked beans unique to New England.

In colonial

Sabbath restrictions. Brown bread and baked beans along with frankfurters continue to be a popular Saturday night staple throughout the region.[1][2][3]

Regional varieties

The region has two main styles of baked beans: Boston baked beans and Maine baked beans. The difference between the two styles is that Boston beans are made with small white navy beans or pea beans with thin skin while Maine beans are made with native bean varieties with thicker skins. The varieties used in Maine are Marafax, soldier, and yellow-eye, with yellow-eye being the most popular variety.[4]

Both varieties are often made with salt pork or bacon. However, there is also a long tradition of vegetarian baked beans made with the same recipe as Boston baked beans or Maine baked beans but made without the addition of salt pork or bacon.[5][6]

Legacy

Boston is often referred to as “Beantown” in reference to the popular dish. From 1883 to 1906 the National League baseball team in Boston was known as the Boston Beaneaters. An annual tournament between the ice hockey teams of four Boston-area universities is named the Beanpot.

This dish is thought to have inspired the common Quebec dish Fèves au lard.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ Nash, Elias (2022-07-11). "The Subtle Difference Between Maine And Boston Baked Beans". TastingTable.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  5. ^ Tucker, Aimee (2020-04-23). "Best Vegetarian Baked Beans Recipe | Vegetarian Baked Beans in a Crock Pot". New England Today. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  6. ^ Schrumpf, Mildred Browne (1951). Maine's Own Baked Bean Recipes. Maine Department of Agriculture.
  7. ^ "Fèves au lard: la recette | Expérience Canadienne". www.houston-macdougal.com (in French). 1 April 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2023.