black beans
Small black-skinned beans with a creamy interior and an earthy, slightly sweet flavour.
Caution: Dried beans contain lectins that are harmful raw and must be fully cooked at a rolling boil after soaking, as slow cooking at low temperature is not enough.
Black beans are sold dried or precooked in cans and jars in many larger supermarkets, otherwise in organic shops, Latin American or international grocers, or by mail order. Dried beans are soaked overnight and then simmered until tender; the cooking liquid turns deep and dark and is often used in Mexican cooking as well.
Substitute:
Kidney or pinto beans work just as well in the dish but taste less earthy, and the dark colour of the beans and their liquid is lost.