Butter Bean or Lima Bean - Ask Extension
My wife and I are having a difference of opinion, she says lima beans and butter beans are 2 separate species, while I say they are the same bean. N...
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Butter Bean or Lima Bean #734897
Asked December 05, 2020, 4:50 PM EST
My wife and I are having a difference of opinion, she says lima beans and butter beans are 2 separate species, while I say they are the same bean. Now she is French and claims her father grew 2 different beans , 1 called a lima bean and 1 called a butter bean. Is it possible that there is that difference between France and the USA
Douglas County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question. I am afraid we are unable to render any assistance on the international flavor of this query, except to say that in French, "butter bean" is translated "haricot au beurre," and "lima bean" is translated "haricot de lima."
Scientifically, they are the same species. Lima beans and butter beans are two terms interchangeably used to describe Phaseolus lunatus, a type of beans. In U.K. and Southern U.S., these beans are called butter beans due to their similar consistency to butter. Meanwhile, the rest of the world calls them limas. Generally, this type of beans is flat, chewy with a mild flavor. The color of the beans varies from pea-green to off-white.
Hope this ends the argument.
Scientifically, they are the same species. Lima beans and butter beans are two terms interchangeably used to describe Phaseolus lunatus, a type of beans. In U.K. and Southern U.S., these beans are called butter beans due to their similar consistency to butter. Meanwhile, the rest of the world calls them limas. Generally, this type of beans is flat, chewy with a mild flavor. The color of the beans varies from pea-green to off-white.
Hope this ends the argument.
Thanks anyway. I sort of figured there was something in the translation.
Bill Schnautz
Bill Schnautz
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