Tepary Beans 'Black Mitla'

This compact (slightly trailing) bean was cultivated as early as 5000 BC! Although moisture is needed for germination, this bean grows to maturity with very little water. An ideal desert bean, therefore, cultivation in a greenhouse is very successful, and in the open ground, it prefers a raised bed. If you ever see dried beans in the market in Central America and Mexico, you are most likely looking at Tepary beans... There is no other cultivated vegetable that can thrive with so little water! 'Black Mitla' produces glossy black beans (9x5 mm), which are eaten cooked or roasted. The cooking time is about 30 minutes, shorter than usual. The taste is particularly pleasant and differs from common dried beans, which belong to the species Phaseolus vulgaris. This unique species has many traditional landraces, all found among Native Americans. The name Tepary bean is an English corruption of T'pawi = Tohono O'odham for "it is a bean."

Names:
Latin: Phaseolus acutifolius
Dutch: Tepary-boon
Also: Black Mitla
English: Tepary Bean, Pawi, Pavi, Tepari, Escomite, Yori mui, Yorimuni, Yori Muni