Wax beans

A type of common beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, distinguished by pale yellow, waxy-looking pods. They are eaten like green beans, steamed, boiled, or served in salads, offering similar nutrition with a milder colour that shows off in mixed vegetable dishes. Their tender pods are harvested immature, before the seeds swell, which keeps them crisp and sweet. As with all fresh common beans, they should be cooked; raw kidney-type beans contain lectins that cause food poisoning, and thorough boiling destroys these compounds. In processing they are canned and frozen like other snap beans, and quality grading rewards straight, unblemished pods of uniform colour, since the pale wax-like appearance is the variety’s signature.