Pork and beans

Pork and beans is a culinary dish that uses pork and beans as its main ingredients. Numerous variations exist from Fabada Asturiana [ [http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/asturian-pork-and-beans Food and wine] Asturian Pork and Beans Recipe] to Olla podrida to plain American canned pork and beans. [ [http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2001/07/26/18236/full-of-beans.html Caterersearch] article "Full of beans"]

American canned pork and beans

The recipe for typical American canned pork and beans varies considerably, but generally consists of navy beans stewed with pork or rendered pork fat. At present, pork and beans is usually also stewed with tomatoes, but this is a 19th century development. Pork and beans is a dish that is routinely purchased canned and reheated on a stove or in a microwave oven.

Although the time and place of the dish's invention is unclear, it was well established in the American diet by the mid-1800s. The 1832 cookbook "The American Frugal Housewife" lists only three ingredients for this dish: a quart of beans, a pound of pork, and pepper. [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=13493 The American Frugal Housewife] pg 51 - Project Gutenberg free ebook] According to the 1975 "Better Homes and Garden Heritage Cookbook", canned pork and beans was the first convenience food. According to Conagra Foods, Frank Van Camp sold pork and beans with tomatoes to the US Army during the American Civil War. [ [http://www.conagrafoods.com/consumer/brands/brand_info.jsp?cookietest=true&page=van_camps Conagra Foods] ]

American canned pork and beans, "an American canned classic, [is] recognized by [American] consumers generally [as] an article of commerce that contains very little pork." [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06EEDA113BF932A35757C0A96E958260 New York Times] article "That's What and Beans? Pork Defends Its Image" published April 1, 1998]

ee also

*Baked beans
*Beans
*Pork

References

Further reading

* [http://www.foodreference.com/html/fporkandbeans.html Pork and Beans Food Facts] - "Commercially canned pork and beans were first sold in the 1880s, but did not become very popular until H.J. Heinz came out with their version in 1895."