It is a very healthy vegetable, rich in mineral elements (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium), vitamins B, C, and carotene. 100 g of the bean-pods provides about 40 kcal. Freshly picked bean pods are easily digested. String beans are usually served warm, with butter and crumbs. They also taste good in salads, e.g. cooked and cooled string beans with cut tomato, chibol and mayonnaise.

String beans can be pasteurised. The container with fibre-peeled beans should be filled with boiling water, so that the beans are covered completely. Then they should be cooked for 3 minutes and closely laid in the jars. Afterwards, they should be covered with hot pickle and pasteurised twice ? for one hour on the first day and for two hours on the second.

The ?younger cousin? and a special variety of the common bean belongs to the papilionaceous plants. It comes from the Central and South America, where it still can be found in the wild. At present, the bean is grown with green, yellow and violet pods (the latter turn their colour to green when cooked).  Another popular variety is called ?mammoth? and has long, flat, wide, succulent and delicate pods. Freshly picked, firm string beans pods are easily digested when cooked and have significant health benefits. Bean is low-calorie (about 40kcal/100g) and alkaline-productive. It contains large amounts of potassium and calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron and phosphorus, as well as sulphur, fluorine and iodine. Significant amounts of B-group vitamins, as well as C,E an PP vitamins and carotene can also be found in this vegetable.  Richer in all the abovementioned nutrients are the beans with green pods. The grains contain much more proteins than the pods. The beans? proteins composition is very similar to that of the meat proteins. String beans should be cooked in a small quantity of water and the stock can be used, e.g. to make soup, since the bean contains soluble proteins. String beans can be frozen or cooked in jars. Beans shouldn?t be eaten raw, since they contain toxic substances which decompose only when cooked. All sour additives like e.g. tomatoes, ought to be added to beans only at the end of cooking the dish. Beans cooked in sour water remain hard for a long time.

The string bean, both yellow and green, is a source of fibre, as well as vitamins K and C. It contains folic acid, which is why it is recommended to pregnant women and people with iron deficiencies and high blood sugar level, since the bean?s properties lower its level.