Used in so many recipes and also grown commercially, beans are an important staple food found all over the world

There are so many varieties of beans spread all over the world that it is difficult to keep track of the varieties of beans.

They often have different sizes, appearance and so many colors; some of which include white, brown or red beans. A specific variety of beans may also be found in a particular location.

It may be difficult to tell one variety of beans apart from another. Two separate varieties of beans could look so alike that you may have to rely on other characteristic to distinguish them.

Varieties like the black eyed beans are known to be popular. However, there are some other varieties found in other parts of the world and which you may or may not know of.

One variety of beans found in West Africa and used to make some of the interesting West African dishes are the honey beans.

NIGERIAN HONEY BEANS 

The Nigerian Honey beans are a certain variety of brown beans that can be found in Nigeria. They may also go by the names ewa oloyin, and often people just refer to them as brown beans.

One defining characteristic of this particular bean is their sweet taste which makes it a favourite among people and is used in different recipes including beans porridge, moi moi or akara which are very popular meals in Nigeria

COOKING

The honey could be used in different recipes and prepared in different exciting ways. Some of these popular Nigerian recipes are as follows.

Ewa agayin;  Accompanied with a spicy sweet stew called the Agayin stew, this particular recipe using honey beans is a popular street food in west Africa.

Ewa riro( porridge beans); Because of its sweet taste, a lot of people prefer to use the honey beans over the black eyed bean for this particular recipe. The boiled beans is left to simmer in a broth of oil and various spices, pepper and onions, this dish can be enjoyed alongside fried plantain.

Moi moi ; This popular Nigerian meal is a pudding made from steaming the paste of peeled beans. This particular meal could either made with honey beans or the black eye bean variety .

Akara; Also known as bean cake. This is another popular street meal made almost the same way as moi moi, except the paste in this case is paste is deep fried,

NUTRIENTS

Honey Beans are an excellent source of protein. They are also very rich in fibres as well as Vitamins and irons

They are a staple food eaten very often, and since they are inexpensive, they can be used as a cheap source of protein.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK

Beans are known to take quite a while to cook, the honey beans is no exception. On a stovetop it could take about an hour to get the beans boiled. Although it could be a lot faster if you are making use of a pressure cooker