Butter beans in Poland: what they are called and how to cook them

Butter beans are called "fasola maślana" in Polish, and also "fasola półksiężycowata" or "fasola limeńska" (lima beans). They are large, flat, creamy-white beans that turn soft and buttery when cooked. In Polish shops they are usually sold dry, and many imported packs also carry the English name "butter beans".

What to look for on Polish shelves

If you are used to British tins of butter beans, a Polish supermarket can be confusing. These are the names to look for:

Fasola Jaś is the bean Poles use most for large-bean dishes. It is not the same species as butter beans, but in most recipes you can swap one for the other. Dry beans are on the shelf with pulses ("rośliny strączkowe" or "kasze i strączki"); tinned beans ("fasola w puszce") are a separate shelf.

What butter beans are

The lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) comes from South America, and the name comes from the capital of Peru. In Britain the large, pale beans are sold as butter beans; in the US people mostly say lima beans. In South India a similar large bean is sometimes called "double beans" and cooked into curry.

The beans are flat, kidney- or half-moon-shaped, and larger than ordinary white beans. Cooked, they have a smooth, creamy centre and a thin skin. The taste is mild and slightly sweet.

How to cook dried butter beans

Dried beans must not be eaten raw or undercooked. Always soak them and cook them until fully soft.

Ingredients: 250 g dried butter beans, water, salt, a bay leaf (optional).

1. Pick over and rinse the beans. Remove small stones and damaged beans.
2. Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for 8–12 hours, ideally overnight. They swell a lot, so use a large bowl.
3. Drain the soaking water and rinse the beans.
4. Cover with fresh water, a few centimetres above the beans. Bring to the boil and skim off the foam.
5. Simmer, covered, usually from 45 minutes to over an hour. The time depends on the size and age of the beans. Start checking after 40 minutes.
6. Salt towards the end, when the beans are almost soft.

The beans are done when you can crush one easily against the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Simmer them gently, because large beans lose their skins and break up at a hard boil. In a pressure cooker the time is much shorter; check your cooker's manual.

Keep cooked beans in the fridge in their cooking water for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them in portions.

What to make with butter beans

• Beans in tomato sauce. Stewed with onion, garlic, tomatoes and marjoram, much like the Polish "fasolka po bretońsku". With bread, it is a full meal.
• Bean curry. Fry onion, ginger and garlic, add cumin, turmeric and garam masala, then tomatoes and the cooked beans. Finish with a little coconut milk.
• A spread. Blend the beans with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. It is a mild kind of hummus.
• Salad. Beans with red onion, parsley, tomatoes and a vinaigrette.
• Soups. Butter beans thicken vegetable soups and minestrone.

Where to buy butter beans

Dried butter beans are on the TRS butter beans 500 g page. A larger pack is TRS butter beans 2 kg. Other beans are in the beans category. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships online orders.