Ingredient: Black Beans

We may be perfectly happy with beans on toast in Britain, but Mexico has taken the humble bean somewhere far more imaginative.

Long before black beans were being spooned into burritos or blitzed into veggie burgers, they were part of one of the oldest food partnerships in the Americas. Beans, maize and squash were grown together for centuries, often called the “three sisters”, because each plant helped the others along. The maize gave the beans something to climb, the beans helped feed the soil, and the squash shaded the ground.

Black beans are thought to have originated in Central and South America, and they are still at the heart of Mexican, Cuban, Brazilian and Caribbean cooking. They turn up in soups, stews, chillies, tacos, rice dishes, salads and dips, and they even sneak surprisingly well into brownies.

Nutritionally, they are a brilliant store cupboard staple. One cooked cup gives around 15g of protein, along with iron, folate, magnesium, manganese and plenty of fibre your gut will thank you for. Their dark colour comes from anthocyanins, the same family of plant compounds found in blueberries and red cabbage.

I love them in burritos, quesadillas, bean salads, soups, or try my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Beef Chilli, it’s yummy.