Can Anyone Tell Me What These Are?

Posted on December 4, 2009 - Filed Under Food, Guatemala | 12 Comments

I saw some giant beans in the market the other day, about an inch long. They were sort of spotted and red, like a mix between kidney and pinto beans. In Spanish, they’re called “piloyes” and I decided to try them out, brought them home and cooked them up. They turned red in the cooking and I didn’t think to snap a pic beforehand.

piloyes

This dish turned out very, very delicious. And I want to put it on Gourmet Mama, but I’ve run into a little problem . . . I don’t know what these suckers are called in English! Anyone know?

Comments

12 Responses to “Can Anyone Tell Me What These Are?”

  1. AussiePomm (Bernie) on December 4th, 2009 7:03 pm

    Even though they are not green, they sort of look like Broad Beans… The pod for them can be up to a foot long with several ‘Beans’ inside! Maybe they took to the red colour from the cooking??

    Looks yummy though!

  2. gblued on December 4th, 2009 9:33 pm

    I’ll have to get some more and take a shot of the raw beans, Bernie. They aren’t green, they’re rather speckled, actually. I’ve never seen anything like them in Canada!

  3. Kimmie on December 4th, 2009 9:51 pm

    You got my attention…I’ve never seen them either…and I am a vegetarian. Fava beans are large, but they are not read. Hmmm, please let us know. They do look yummy Genesis!

    Kimmie

  4. Kathleen on December 4th, 2009 11:07 pm

    well, if they are that hard to find, then you may just have to say they are pinto beans! otherwise no one will be able to find them. to me, they look like pinto beans, just more red. maybe they are a hybrid.

  5. Cristina on December 5th, 2009 7:22 am

    http://www.conabio.gob.mx/malezasdemexico/fabaceae/phaseolus-coccineus/fichas/ficha.htm#1.%20Nombres

    According to this link, they’re scarlet runnerbeans. Which is probably not a commercially available product in North America.
    Anyways, in Antigua people make piloyada, which is a really great salad faintly resembling the base for fiambre. You might want to try making it Genesis, and giving us your appreciation of it!

  6. gblued on December 5th, 2009 8:19 am

    Thanks, Cristina, those look like the right ones. You’re right, though, they probably aren’t available commercially in NA, but maybe in Mexican shops? I’ll have to investigate a bit more. I’ve actually had piloyada before and loved it, but haven’t tryed making it . . . next on the list! :)

  7. gblued on December 5th, 2009 8:20 am

    They’re very similar to pinto beans, Kathleen, but they are HUGE. The skins are a little tough, which I didn’t notice while eating them in the tomato dish, but later the boys were eating them just plain as a snack and asked me to peel them!

  8. gblued on December 5th, 2009 8:20 am

    Fava beans were the first thing I looked up, Kimmie, but definitely not these. They are SO good though!

  9. connie on December 6th, 2009 1:29 pm

    There’s a lot out there on these beans, I am intrigued. http://blog.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/runner-bean-salad-with-radicchio-radish-and-red-onion.html and http://www.answers.com/topic/runner-bean

  10. connie on December 6th, 2009 1:36 pm

    hit ’send’ too soon. I was going to add that I had a mystery fruit that I now know the Arabic for, but not the English. We ate it before getting a good picture :D Guess I’ll have to get another and do my own “can anyone tell me…?” post!

  11. duendemaya on December 10th, 2009 10:23 am

    Try cooking the local recipe:

    http://www.tvcocina.com/profiles/blogs/piloyada-antiguena

    Enjoy!

  12. gblued on December 10th, 2009 2:31 pm

    Thanks, duende, I’m going to try that! It would be perfect for the Guatemalan cookbook I’m working on.

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