# frijol / habichuela



## clara mente

After stolling through the Latino Food section of my local grocery store the other day, I left shaking my head in bewilderment. In the bean section about half the cans used the term "frijol" as in "frijoles negros" while the other half used the word "habichuela" as in "habicuelas rosadas". To make matters worse, there were a few which used the word "haba". Before I jump off of the nearest bridge in total frustration, could anyone please attempt to tell me what, if any, difference there is among beans which would prompt a change of words.


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## Juceto

Frijol like beans (the red ones).
Frijoles negros (the name says everything).
Habichuela (kidney bean... there are long and green-colored).

About the haba, I can't help you pretty much, maybe someone can help us in the last one. I hope you can solve your problem, take care and have a nice Mexican diner, enjoy it (I recommend you to eat Colombian food), bye.


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## AmenofisIV

Haba: Broad bean.
Habichuela: Kidney bean.
It's all I can say. I'm at a loss when it comes to cooking.
But "En todas  partes *se* cuecen habas", i.e., "It´s the same the whole world  over".
Espero no haber añadido más confusión y  que nadie se tire de un puente.


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## No pasa res

I don't have a clue but beans could be _frijoles _in some Latin American countries while in Spain they are called _habas_? I think they are called porotos in Argentina.


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## No pasa res

According to Wikipedia judía o alubia is the term used in Spain. Poroto is used in some part of South America while habichuelas is the term used in the Caribbean although in many countries habichuelas makes reference to the green beans. I think I'll jump off the bridge with you.


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## clara mente

No pasa res said:


> According to Wikipedia judía o alubia is the term used in Spain. Poroto is used in some part of South America while habichuelas is the term used in the Caribbean although in many countries habichuelas makes reference to the green beans. I think I'll jump off the bridge with you.


So now we have SIX different words for bean. Oh boy! This is really clearing up matters. Does anyone have a score card?


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## JGreco

Yes, what to call beans... this a problem... here's a Panamanian perspective:

Habichuela- Usually either green bean or big red beans.

Frijoles- not used really, I've heard it use by the mountain people or the indigenous people when I visited in the past.

Poroto- pretty much every other bean (usually referred to the little red beans.)

Guandu- pigeon peas.

Petit Pois- peas.


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## AmenofisIV

As far as fríjoles are concerned, ni fríjol idea.
To add  to the bridge-jumping [puenting in Spanish (sic)]:
judía blanca : haricot bean
judía colorada: runner bean
judía de Lima: Lima bean (saludos a los peruanos que lean esto)
judía pinta : pinto bean
judía verde : green bean
alubia and haba is the same bridge, I mean, thing.
If  you come to Spain, just say "fabes" and everybody will understand, especialy in Asturias
A. ( confused and overwhelmed)


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## clara mente

It looks like we have the perspective of the words for "bean" from most of the Spanish-speaking world except for Mexico. Any Mexicanos out there who would like to elucidate on this topic?


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## appletom

Well, I am not Mexican, but after close to four years in different parts of Mexico, I feel I can speak to the "frijol" mystery.  "Frijoles" is the preferred word for most beans in Mexico.  "Haba" is a word used to describe large broad beans (bigger than lima beans) in specific dishes, but in general, "frijoles" is used to describe most other beans.  Green beans are called "ejotes" in Mexico.  Hope this makes things a little clearer!


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## adonis

Well, I am from Central America and We call it "Frijoles", but we also understand "Frijoles" If you call them Habichuelas. In Nicaragua the usual name is "Frijoles".


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## Tezzaluna

In Costa Rica we call them frijoles.


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## borgonyon

I had never heard of *habichuelas* until I met my brother's in-law's. They are Puertoricans and they call them *habichuelas*, no matter the color or the size. My wife is Cuban and they call them *frijoles*. Except the red ones. Those are *habichuelas*. In México I had only heard them called *frijoles*. We don't consider *habas* to be the same thing.


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## Juan Carlos Garling

No pasa res said:


> I don't have a clue but beans could be _frijoles _in some Latin American countries while in Spain they are called _habas_? I think they are called porotos in Argentina


You are right. We would say *porotos* in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay and kind of wonder if we hear *frejoles* or *habichuelas*.

Paraphrasing Bernard Shaw _: Latinamerica is composed of countries *separated* by the *same* language
_


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## nfiniti

Every Spanish speaking has their own word for the same bean...

Panama    Spanish caribbean      U.S                    
guandu          gandules                pigeon peas          
habichuelas         ????                   string beans/green beans  
poroto         habichuela             red beans/kidney beans


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## SilentShyJD

In Colombia, we have different kinds of beans with the "fríjoles" denomination. However, people consider "habichuela" and "haba" different from the frijoles´kind.  

Haba: 
purcellmountainfarms.com/Haba%20big.JPG
Habichuela: 
mercandoenlinea.com/catalogo/images/habichuela.jpg


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## JohanG

In my part of Mexico which is Nayarit I have only heard frijol and they are not usually kidney beans.  The interesting part I wanted to report is that the beans you buy are "frijol".  It is not until they are cooked that they become "frijol*es*".  So in the store you ask for "frijol" and a restaurnt you order "frijol*es*".  Is this "pluralization" also true in other areas?


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## mazbook

JohanG, I've lived in Sinaloa, México (just north of you) for over 10 years now, and what you say is correct.  *Frijol +descriptive* (or without) means ANY dried beans EXCEPT the large dry white broad beans that cook up fast and soft that I was taught to call "lima beans".  Those are *habas* in my part of México.

*Frijoles* are any cooked beans in my part of México, just as they are in Nayarit.  BUT…

To confuse everyone a bit more, in *New Mexico*, where I grew up and lived most of my life, ALL beans, dried or cooked are *frijoles* in the local Spanish dialect, which dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries  when most of the Spanish-speaking settlers arrived from Spain via México (NOT a Mexican dialect at all).

I have NEVER heardthe pronunciation *fríjol* or *fríjoles* used in México or New Mexico. That pronunciation sounds very weird to me.

Saludos desde Mazatlán


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## Hector S. Vega

En Panama, Frijoles pueden ser Frijoles de palo cuando esta seco o guandu -aun verde (pigeon beans) These grow on small trees. That's why they're called "de palo"  Tambien estan los frijoles de bejuco. Which grow on a small plant resembling a vine. 
Los frijoles rojos (que son mas grandes) les llamamos porotos. Aunque en Puerto Rico les llaman habichuelas. Las habas son blancas aplastaditas (lima beans) Y las habichuelas (Green beans) son las largas que generalmante se comen verdes  and grow on vines. Yo he cultivado y  preparado todos estos tipos de granos. Y lo pronunciamos (frijol si se habla del grano en general "el frijol se ha puesto my caro" o frijoles si han sido cocinados. "comeremos arroz con frijoles"

Saludos a los panamenos!


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## caras

My native language is Swedish so I'll try my best to write in English, studying Spanish and also had the problem of translating the 'bean' word. After some reading and so I finally wrote down this list of 'bean' words.

*bean, kidney bean* - alubia, judía (Spain), habichuela (Andalucia, Puerto Rico, Colombia), poroto (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile), fríjol (frijol) (Costa Rica), fréjol (frejol), frísol (obsolete)
*beans (dish)* - frijoles
*broad bean (horse bean)* - haba [panosa]
*haricots verts, grean bean, french bean* - judía verde (Spain), ejote (México, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador), poroto verde (Chile), vainita (Bolivia, República Dominicana, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru), vainica (Costa Rica, Nicaragua), chaucha (Argentina Uruguay), habichuela tierna (Puerto Rico), habichuela (Colombia, Cuba, Panama), habichuelas verdes (Andalucia), habicholilla (Andalucia), habicholón (Andalucia)
*haricot bean* - judía blanca (Spain)
*red (brown) bean* - alubia roja
*cannellini bean* - alubia blanca
*lima bean* - judía de Lima (Spain)
*pinto bean* - judía pinta (Spain), fríjol pinto (México)
*runner bean* - judía colorada (Spain)
*soy bean* - haba de soja 
*black bean* - fríjol negro

others/idioms
*to earn one’s living* (ganarse la vida) - ganarse las habichuelas, ganarse los frijoles (Guatemala, Honduras), buscarse los frijoles (Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala), ganarse los porotos (Chile)

Some of you may verify if those are correct translations, thanks


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## Giorgio Lontano

caras said:


> Some of you may verify if those are correct translations, thanks


 
The ones I actually know about look great.  Around here _frijoles_ are black, and for the one's that aren't, color is specified, e.g. _frijol colorado._

Regards.


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## cristinna

¡No lo puedo creer!, ¿qué pasó con "caraota"?, nadie lo ha mencionado. 
¡En Venezuela las caraotas son riquísimas!


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## Dee247

clara mente said:


> So now we have SIX different words for bean. Oh boy! This is really clearing up matters. Does anyone have a score card?



Frijol Negro   =  Black Bean
Frijol Pinto    =  Pinto Bean    
Frijol Blanco  =  White Kidney Bean
Frijol Rojo     =  Kidney bean
Frijol Colorado = Small Red bean
Habas          =  Fava Bean
Habichuela    =  Peas
Ejotes          = Green Beans

So this is what I know & have heard through my Guatemalan Heritage.


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## Dee247

JohanG said:


> In my part of Mexico which is Nayarit I have only heard frijol and they are not usually kidney beans.  The interesting part I wanted to report is that the beans you buy are "frijol".  It is not until they are cooked that they become "frijol*es*".  So in the store you ask for "frijol" and a restaurnt you order "frijol*es*".  Is this "pluralization" also true in other areas?



Yup, I believe it is so in Guatemala as well, Frijol is the legume & Frijoles is the dish... I specifically recall making a reference to my same experience as a little girl when I learned the difference between Pez & Pescado... je je..sorry if off-subject 
OH gosh, now I'm craving "frijolitos colados, con frances y quesito seco"  Chapines are salivating along with me right now


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## Kymoon

I know this is a pretty old thread, but I think I have the answer to your question. What everybody says is absolutely correct, the names for beans (just as for most foods, especially fruits) are a total mess with a lot of regional variation. However, going to your original question of why you saw the variation at the supermarket: I bet you came across this variation with the Goya brand of beans. The reason for the use of _habichuela_ for most of their beans is that Goya is historically heavily associated with Puerto Rico, where the term is used. Goya was founded by a Spaniard (in Spain they also use the term in some regions), who emigrated to Puerto Rico and then emigrated to New York (heavily Puerto Rican) and founded the company. The company is headquartered in New Jersey (also heavily Puerto Rican). There is also an important manufacturing center for Goya in Puerto Rico. However, Goya names their black beans _frijoles_ (and I think those are the only one they call _frijoles_, if I'm not mistaken). Black beans are not really used in Puerto Rican cuisine, but they are in Cuban cuisine, where they call beans _frijoles_. There is also an important manufacturing center in Miami (heavily Cuban), hence the occasional use of _frijoles_. I haven't seen any other brand of beans that use _habichuela_ in the US. Mexican beans, Brazilian beans, and others all use _frijoles_ in Spanish, at least the brands sold in the US, and California, specifically.

I hope this somewhat helps in answering your question about your supermarket experience, or at least shed some light on it.


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## esfritcapt

Just a bit of additional confusion from Spain: ordinary broad beans (US fava beans, I believe) are habas in Spanish and faves in Catalan, but fabes in Asturia are large, almost oval, white dried beans.


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## mi sol

No pasa res said:


> According to Wikipedia judía o alubia is the term used in Spain. Poroto is used in some part of South America while habichuelas is the term used in the Caribbean although *in most latinamerican* *countries* habichuelas makes reference to the *green beans*. I think I'll jump off the bridge with you.


Exactly my friend, it's exactly as you wrote, and *HABAS* are very *large white flat beans* (very expensive too) *only used *to cook a typical dish from a city in Spain - Asturias. On the other hand *HABICHUELAS in Spain MAINLAND* are beans *and in Canary Islands* are GREEN BEANS What about that???. The term *FRIJOL* it's *ONLY* used in Central America. Then in *Venezuela CARAOTAS* are *all kind of beans* although the term frijoles is referred to a specific very tiny kind of bean. In Chile, Argentina and two or three more conuntries in Southamerica it's poroto, I'm right on the edge of the bridge now!!!!!!!!


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## mi sol

cristinna said:


> No lo puedo creer! que pasó con "caraota"? nadie lo ha mencionado
> en Venezuela las caraotas son riquísimas!


¡¡¡Síííííííí,  yo las mencioné!!!


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## esfritcapt

The very large white (NOT flat) beans only used to cook a typical dish (*fabada*) from a *region* of Spain called Asturias (no city of that name) are *fabes (singular faba) not habas*. In Spain, *habas* are *broad beans*.
Here's another for you: *garrofón* (in Valencian: garrofó). "Una variedad de alubia blanca, grande y plana típica de Valencia". Fresh or dried. Essential ingredient in a true Valencian paella (chicken, rabbit and 2 or more types of beans, snails optional, no other meat, fish or vegetables). I guess it's not dissimilar to a Lima bean.


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## mi sol

esfritcapt said:


> The very large white (NOT flat) beans only used to cook a typical dish (*fabada*) from a *region* of Spain called Asturias (no city of that name) are *fabes (singular faba) not habas*. In Spain, *habas* are *broad beans*.
> Here's another for you: *garrofón* (in Valencian: garrofó). "Una variedad de alubia blanca, grande y plana típica de Valencia". Fresh or dried. Essential ingredient in a true Valencian paella (chicken, rabbit and 2 or more types of beans, snails optional, no other meat, fish or vegetables). I guess it's not dissimilar to a Lima bean.


Hi there!!! sorry to tell you that they are flat compared to regular beans  I buy them here in Spain in Mercadona (it says HABAS or FAVES in the label) and they are pretty flat, best!!!!!


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## esfritcapt

Not flat like Lima or butter beans, though! Interesting that Mercadona label them like that (must have a look next time I go there), just to add to the confusion!!


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## mi sol

Remember that Lima beans are always referred to as habas, anyhow, yeap it's confusing, in mercadona they call them faves, Habas, habas de la granja something like that, I'm going there now and I'll let you know when I come back


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## EddieZumac

In Santander (Spain) they have  a small, tasty bean which they call ""*caricos*".

In the Basque Country they call string beans "*vainas*".

In some parts of Spain they call beans and rice "*moros y cristianos*".


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## SydLexia

"La Granja" se refiere a "La Granja de San Ildefonso" (Segovia).

"Judiones de la Granja", son especiales...
syd


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## mi sol

Ahhhhhh.


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## mi sol

EddieZumac said:


> In Santander (Spain) they have  a small, tasty bean which they call ""*caricos*".
> 
> In the Basque Country they call string beans "*vainas*".
> 
> In some parts of Spain they call beans and rice "*moros y cristianos*".


The "beans world" is pretty large..... in Venezuela they also call vainas/vainitas to string/green beans tooooooooo. In canary Islands "moros y cristianos" (black beans and rice cooked and mixed in the pot) is very popular, best!


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## mi sol

mi sol said:


> The "beans world" is pretty large..... in Venezuela they also call vainas/vainitas to string/green beans tooooooooo. In canary Islands "moros y cristianos" (black beans and rice cooked and mixed in the pot) is very popular, best!


And it's also the Venezuelan typical dish served with carne mechada, avocado and fried sliced plantains... I'm getting hungry!!!


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