So since chateau rouge was not an option today, with the french strike, I went shopping in a nearby african minimarket and I got three different cowpeas, one I am not so sure is is cowpea.
the last one is the one I have doubts about
advice ?
Well done on sourcing some cowpeas. The last one is not a cowpea. Dolique en français. Lablab (sometimes poor manâs bean) in English, at least in Australian English. Not sure what itâs called elsewhere.
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thank you Ray. Dolique has very long pods, correct ? is it a phaseolus or a vigna ? anyway it can probably be cultivated the same wayâŠ
Cultivated similarly yes but no, the pods are not long. Another common name in English is hyacinth bean. Its scientific name used to be Dolichos lablab, hence the French name dolique. I believe it is now called Lablab purpureus. The âwildâ species has purple flowers but the cultivated form has a number of varieties some of which have white flowers. I think the seeds you bought will probably be one of the white flowered varieties. The purple flowered ones usually have black seeds.
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Dolichos lablab is neither phaseolus or vigna. Itâs genus is Dolichos. A friend grew the purple hyacinth beans last year which have black seeds much like the seeds in your photo. The leaves, pods, and roots are edible, but the dry beans must be boiled and rinsed twice to get rid of their cyanogenic glucosides. The purple plants are stunning. I enjoyed eating the pods (which were at most 10 cm long), but I did not cook the leaves. The plants need a warm growing season.
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Thank you for sharing these lovely pictures
I agree with the ID of the white one with the prominent white stripe as dolichos/lablab/hyacinth bean. At least the black hyacinth bean (possibly more than just that) is a very important part of Kenyaâs traditional food ways called njahi. To me they are quite delightful to look at - - like many cowpeas, they are more wild-looking to my eyes than most common beans.
I didnât know what Janna shared about other parts of the plant being edible - - I actually assumed based on the apparent seed toxicity that they werenât. This is great to learn.
I believe the advice to boil multiple times because of the cyanogenic glucosides is the rule of thumb according to most of the internet that didnât grow up eating it. It may be the only safe way to eat it.
I wonât say thatâs incorrect, nor am I suggesting anybody do anything different. Merely sharing my experience that I didnât do it the one time so far Iâve prepared njahi and I felt great afterwards. Not âtoo greatâ either - - I understand euphoria and improved digestion can be signs of mild cyanide poisoning. Which is an interesting topic by itself.
I sprouted them first, in case it matters.
Iâd like to ask of some Kenyan grandmothers who still make this how they prepare the beans - - that seems likely to me to be one of the best standards for safe preparation.
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Iâve moved the Dolichos portion of the Cowpea landrace thread to a new off-topic thread to improve discoverability and keep the Cowpea landracing thread focused. It might move again depending on how it develops
Iâll be growing a white one sourced from the grocery store this season, and maybe a black one too!
The white ones look very vivacious (if that means anything coming from me) but I canât speak to germination or growth yet. The black ones I have are not nearly as vibrant. They germinate great - - I ate them sprouted and cooked, and pretty much every one of them sprouted - - but the seedlings have come up a little funny. I donât know whether the funniness is within expected parameters or might be damage from irradiation or another sterilization treatment. None of them (maybe itâs just two) have lived past seedling for me, though Iâve also been growing in what I expect are extremely suboptimal indoor conditions. They might behave differently out in the yard.
Would love to hear how these do for you