Bean Soup Is On The U.S. Senate Restaurant Menu – Every Single Day.

Green, red, kidney, lima or soy are just a few of the different kinds of beans recognized on National Bean Day on January 6.

• 7th Century BC – Beans (legumes) are one of the longest cultivated plants dating back to the early seventh millennium BC.
• 6th Century BC – philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras had a deep philosophical dislike of beans. Some historians reported his aversion was due to the belief that legumes contained the souls of the dead.
• 1551 – The term ‘kidney bean’ is coined to differentiate the bean type from other common beans.
• 1734 – Jack and the Beanstalk first appeared as The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean in 1734.
• 1854 – Father of genetics Gregor Mendel conducts research experiments on heredity using different varieties of peas.
• 1884 – January 6th is National Bean Day which also falls on the day in which geneticist, Gregor Mendel used bean plants and pea plants to develop theories on genetics in plants.
• 1967 – The first chili cook-off took place in Texas, so cooks have had plenty of time to perfect their techniques … and find the best kinds of beans to use. And if you like vegetarian chili, beans will be the primary ingredient.
• 1980s – an archaeologist working in New Mexico came upon a clay pot sealed with pine tar containing bean seeds that were 1,500 years old…and they grew!
• 1989 – Denver-based business Women’s Bean Project, which gives soup, snack and jewelry-making gigs to chronically unemployed women, started with $500 of dry beans in 1989.
• 1900s – Bean Soup is on the U.S. Senate restaurant menu… every single day.
• 2003 – Staton Rorie grew a bean plant in the U.S. that reached 46 feet 3 inches! This impressive height is equivalent to three giraffes standing end-to-end and remains a unique feat in horticulture​. It was recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as reaching 46 ft. 3 in
• There are approximately 40,000 bean varieties in the world.
• Only a fraction of these varieties are mass-produced for regular consumption.
• In Nicaragua, newlyweds are given a bowl of beans for good luck.
• In ancient Greece, minor public officials were elected by putting one white bean with a load of black beans inside a “bean machine.” Whoever picked the white bean got the job.
• Beans can be made into burgers, cakes, drinks, pies, fudge, muffins, jewelry, furniture (bean-bag chairs!), toys, and musical instruments.
• Beans contain compounds that aid in blood sugar regulation and cholesterol reduction. They’re also rich in folate, an important nutrient for mental health.
• Traditional medicine in India and China uses beans for their supposed benefits on kidney and liver health.​
• The world’s largest bean pods can grow up to 5 feet long.
• Vermont ranks highest in searching for bean recipes online. Montana and Wyoming are second and third.
• In ancient Greece, minor public officials were elected by drawing beans. The person who got the white bean got the job.
• The Alabama Butterbean Festival set the record for the largest pot of baked beans at 1,010 gallons.
• The longest recorded time for sitting in a bath of cold baked beans is 100 hours by Barry “Captain Beany” Kirk of Port Talbot, West Glamorgan (United Kingdom).
• Every hour, 38.5 tons of baked beans are eaten in Britain.
• The top five beans grown in the United States are pinto, navy beans, black beans, red kidney beans and great northern beans.
• North Dakota produces 1/3 of beans in the U.S.  North Dakota is known for a lot of things, but we doubt you would have guessed that it is the capital of bean production in the United States.  And honestly, it’s not even close! North Dakota accounts for 32% of the nation’s bean production, followed at a distant 2nd by Michigan at 17%. Nebraska rounds out the top three at 11%.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Mobile-Cuisine

Parade

Randal Beans

Days of the Year

National Today