Baked beans have been the stable since I was a lad. 3 , 4 ,5 or 6, I have no idea. Earlier than six, was a sure fix so you can count out the age of six as me starter point. A top 5 go to if I was given a choice, top 3 even when I comes to providing myself with sustanence.
I don’t even know how to describe them. Nor do I care too. Ill have a crack though…
Comfortable!
Firm but malleable. Slick viscous glaze that lathers lusciously over the sourest sourdough on the south side a bass strait.
Infused with the burnt to a bastard bacon aroma that’s gonna have ya salivating with the slickest crumbly cheddar.
Slow braised beans glazed in napoli – smoked hock – grilled sourdough – poached eggs – Mersey valley sharp and crumbly.
BANG!
Beans are hearty, wholesome, and we are glad you brought em with ya.
My old man used them to shut me up and get a feed down my neck when I was little. I have stated profusely over time how I would hide my food in my pockets just to get out of eating most foods I was served up growing up.
There was no such issue when beans were on the menu.
Check out my baked bean recipe here
So about beans anyway..
The history of baked beans.
Our first recorded indulgences upon baked beans were in indigenous American cuisines, for which evolved into our common staples in colonial America, and Brittan, and my base here in Tasmania, Australia. Our Kiwi cousins over the water are well known baked bean consumers also.
The origins of baked beans can be traced to the domestication of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Central and South America thousands of years ago.
All the central and northern American tribes that dominated the landscape had a fondness for the bean. They incorporated it into a self-sufficient agricultural practice that helped squash and corn absolutely rip it up.
This system is now commonly referend to as the 3 sisters’ method. The 3 sisters method is considered to be a system that some argue was ahead of tits time. Or maybe they were just switched on to their environments.
Basically the 3 sister method was where corn would provide support for the beans, the beans provided nitrogen for the soil, and the squash would cover the soil.
Doesn’t matter how now though does it eh. I like it.
After colonisation, typical American settlers would chuck their beans into a pot with other bits and pieces and bury the pot under or near a fire overnight.
Actually yeah nah not near the fire. They buried in under and close too the fire 🔥
The next day their previously firm and dry beans would be softened down into malleable oval shaped protein bombs.
The yanks were fond of a maple syrup addition in order to provide a sense of tradition, and probably flavor, particularly for the famous Boston baked beans.
While the Britts, who my ancestors here in Australia inherited it from, love a glaze of the tomato variety for which is often brewed up with smoked pork hock.
The ingredients used in baked beans historically depended upon global trade systems:
So…
When European colonists settled in North America during the seventeenth century, they adopted Indigenous bean cooking methods but adapted the ingredients according to available trade goods. Maple syrup was often replaced with molasses, which was widely imported from Caribbean sugar plantations through Atlantic trade routes.
- Molasses was imported from Caribbean sugar plantations.
- Pork products were widely produced in North America and Europe.
- The industrialization of baked beans began in the late nineteenth century with the development of food canning technology. One of the most influential producers was Heinz, which began marketing canned baked beans in the 1880s.
While it was the invention of canning that transformed beans from being a cowboy staple for the likes of ‘Billy the kid’ and ‘Doc holiday’, into a global powerhouse.
Canned baked beans quickly became a staple in urban households, in military rations, and international shipping markets.
A typical yank brew of beans consisted of navy beans, molasses, salt, pork, onion, and mustard
The dish was traditionally cooked overnight on Saturday so it could be eaten on the Sunday, after being boiled under the fire pit, reflecting religious practices among Puritan communities in Boston.
By the eighteenth century, baked beans had become an established regional dish throughout New England.
The United Kingdom remains one of the largest consumers of baked beans per capita on the planet, with Australia and New Zealand also maintaining a strong demand for the bean down the south side of the hemisphere.
Beans were (still are) an important protein source. Some early dish staples included: Maple syrup or maple sugar, animal fats such as bear grease, along with wild herbs or vegetables
The slow-cooking technique softened the beans while producing a thick, rich broth. This method later influenced European settlers in North America and laid the foundation for baked bean recipes.
…
At the age of 43, I am still chugging down beans of the baked variety and enjoying every moment of it.
I put together a little video a whiles back where I did a charred 13 hour pork hock on me little portable fireplace. Check it here-
Once I had let the pork settle I broke off all the crusted carbon and braised the hock in me bean sauce. You can check the recipe here-
There is no middle ground with baked beans. Either ya love them, or you hate them and I hope you enjoyed my story.
#check out some of my shop stuff too
#Pickle pro tip: Baked beans are a great fart propellant. Be certain not to consume baked beans before going on any dates. Your potential partner most likely won’t like your smell.
