Bolita Bean

Spanish settlers to the northern New Mexican region initially presented the Bolita Bean to North America. After this introduction, the bean was incorporated into much of the American Indian food traditions in the Four Corners region. With its high protein content and its general ease on the stomach, the Bolita Bean became an important crop bean, quickly becoming extensively cultivated throughout the American southwest.

The beans are deep, pinkish-beige—almost salmon in color—and boast a taste richer in flavor than the Pinto bean, to which it is often compared. Unfortunately, because of this easy association, the Bolita Bean often looses out to the pinto bean in sales and cultivation.

Photo credit: Native Seeds/SEARCH