# What kind of beans are these? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982 "2007-07-24T18:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/1 "2007-07-24T18:42:07Z")
I’ve started frequenting a new Japanese and Korean restaurant in town. A couple times I’ve gotten chicken teriyaki, which has been served with a side of some sort of bean I’d never had before. They’re green, and look a lot like peas in the pod, but you can’t eat the entire thing - the pod is very tough, fibrous and stringy. You have to pop the beans out into your mouth. They are soft and have a texture and taste somewhat similar to lima beans. They have always been served to me cold, and seem to have been lightly marinated in some kind of flavored oil or vinegar. What are these? (I asked the waitress, but the staff speaks very little English at this place. She misunderstood and thought I was complaining about the beans ☹ (when they were in fact delicious).) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/2 "2007-07-24T18:43:32Z")
Sounds like edamame, or fresh soybeans. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/3 "2007-07-24T18:44:29Z")
I believe they are boiled soy beans, also called edamame. They sell them in gourmet food stores like Whole Foods as well. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/4 "2007-07-24T18:51:09Z")
They are in regular supper markets in California. Most of the time you see them in the frozen food section. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/5 "2007-07-24T18:52:16Z")
My local grocery store has them bagged/frozen in the frozen foods aisle. You can microwave a handful at a time as a side. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/6 "2007-07-24T18:57:56Z")
I believe that’s them! Thanks! I will be acquiring some for tasty snacks. ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/7 "2007-07-24T19:10:03Z")
There in most of the stores around me, in fact I nearly burned down my house Sunday night because I forgot they were on the stove. I usually boil them for 5 minutes in salted water, 3 hours is waaaay to long however. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-beans-are-these/412982/8 "2007-07-24T19:44:21Z")
You can get a big bag of them, frozen, at Costco. Sometimes they have fresh ones too.