I heard this a long time ago and have always wondered about its veracity:
Navy beans were once called “white beans”.
In the years following the emancipation of African-American slaves, bean growers discovered that black people preferred to buy red and black beans when they shopped for food. The growers, wondering why blacks avoided white beans, did some investigating. They discovered that, because racism was still a huge factor after slavery ended, many blacks were simply afraid to request “white beans” at the store.
So the “white bean” growers got together and decided to change the name of their product to “navy beans” to get around the white/black connotation. As a result, black people eventually started to buy more white beans.
I’ve always thought that this story, while certainly plausible, sounded a bit hokey. Another explanation I’ve heard is that “navy beans” were so called simply because that was the variety of beans that was supplied to the US Navy.
Like Nametag, I’ve only encountered the Navy ration explanation, and the other story seems strange to me. Did black people only eat whole-wheat bread? Never wore white shirts, never ordered vanilla ice cream? Why did this problem only affect the poor bean?
Nope. “1885-1860,Amer. ; so called from wide use in the U.S.Navy” Webster’s Unabridged. Several other “navy” terms came into use then, like “Navy Plug” for a type of tobacco. That clinches it, IMHO.
Thanks all - I’m just going to have to chalk this up to either urban legend or else somebody’s wild imagination. I have to admit that I thought it was kind of a silly story to beging with.