(/) Pegya, shape variable, some rounded domed and angular, pale pink, speckled 

 red, slightly bitter, skins tough. 



The leaves of all these kinds are edible but show varying degrees of bitterness 

 according to season. 



Ref. 13; 23. 



*352. P. vulgaris L. (Papil.). Kidney, French, Haricot bean. 



Mbwanda, cimbamba, kayera (N), mphwanda (Ngu), ncungu (Tu), njunga (To), 

 indima (Nk), malima (Su). 



Cultivated annuals, native of tropical America, varying from small bushy types 

 1 ft. high to climbing or spreading plants extending 4 or 5 ft. There are a very 

 large number of varieties in the country, mostly of the dwarf bushy type, they differ 

 in size, shape and colour of the seeds. Most of the kinds have the typical kidney- 

 shaped seed but a few, kanumbulunji (C), a bean fairly commonly grown in the 

 Kota Kota District, has a rounded seed resembling in shape that of the Bambarra 

 groundnut. 



A large red-seeded kind, cimbamba, is very popular. The beans can be grown 

 successfully at all altitudes but the main bean producing areas are in the hills and 

 foothills. Hence in the Southern Province on the whole, they are scarce; in the 

 Mzimba and Karonga hills they are very plentiful while in the rest of the country 

 they are in fair supply. 



Methods of Cooking. 



(1) The Beans (for names see above). They are the most popular of all the 

 kinds of beans for a side-dish. 



(a) They are boiled until very soft, the product is of good flavour and the skins 

 soft and tasteless. 



(6) The skins are removed by soaking and the beans boiled until soft. They 

 are then well mashed often with a special stick kept for the purpose, to form cipere. 

 Oil or pounded turmeric, kurri, may be added. 



(c) The fresh beans are cooked as a side-dish. 



{d) The beans are boiled together with whole maize from which the bran haB 

 been removed, to form ngata (Karonga District). This is a popular food among the 

 aKonde and aSukwa. 



(e) Among the aKonde, beans are cooked with bananas to form mbaraga, this 

 dish may form one of the main meals of the day. 



(/) They are often eaten boiled either fresh or dried with no accompanying 

 porridge. They may be cooked for this purpose either shelled or in the pods, makowe. 



(2) The Young Pods. Ziteba, mMeba. 



In the Southern Province green immature beans, ziteba, mateba, are commonly 

 eaten as a side-dish. The pods are broken across, boiled until soft when pounded 

 groundnuts are added with occasionally onions in addition. They are often mixed 

 with leaves. In the rest of the country, the Africans think it wasteful to use the 

 young beans and prefer to let them all mature. Provided, however, that water is 

 available the plants will continue to bear for a considerable time if the green beans 

 are frequently picked so that a supply of a side-dish can be kept up. Green beans 

 were found very useful in the feeding of the boarders at Mkhoma D.R.C.M. schools 

 (1942) and their use might well be extended to other institutions such as hospitals 

 and prisons. 



(3) The Leaves. Khwanya (N), liponda lya mbwanda {Y),matapa a mphwanda 

 (Ngu), cinyamula (Tu), cinguyani (Nk), cikundya (Su). 



The leaves are very commonly cooked as a side-dish. They are gathered young, 

 boiled until soft, then pounded groundnuts are added. If the leaves are old, some 



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