What is "navy bean"

Navy \Na"vy\; n.; pl. Navies. [ OF. navie, fr. L. navis ship. See Nave of a church.]

1. A fleet of ships; an assemblage of merchantmen, or so many as sail in company. ``The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir.''
   --1 kings x. 11.

2. The whole of the war vessels belonging to a nation or ruler, considered collectively; as, the navy of Italy.

3. The officers and men attached to the war vessels of a nation; as, he belongs to the navy.

4. same as navy blue.

   Navy bean. see Bean.

   Navy yard, a place set apart as a shore station for the use of the navy. It often contains all the mechanical and other appliences for building and equipping war vessels and training their crews.

Bean \Bean\ (b[=e]n), n. [OE. bene, AS. be['a]n; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p[=o]na, Icel. baun, Dan. b["o]nne, Sw. b["o]na, and perh. to Russ. bob, L. faba.]

1. (Bot.) A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the herbs.

   Note: The origin and classification of many kinds are still doubtful. Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean, included in Dolichos Sinensis; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth bean, Dolichos Lablab; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string beans, and pole beans, all included in Phaseolus vulgaris; the lower bush bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, variety nanus; Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus; Spanish bean and scarlet runner, Phaseolus multiflorus; Windsor bean, the common bean of England, Faba vulgaris. [1913 Webster] As an article of food beans are classed with vegetables.

2. The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less resembling true beans. Bean aphis (Zo["o]l.), a plant louse ( Aphis fab[ae]) which infests the bean plant. Bean fly (Zo["o]l.), a fly found on bean flowers. Bean goose (Zo["o]l.), a species of goose ( Anser segetum). Bean weevil (Zo["o]l.), a small weevil that in the larval state destroys beans. The American species is Bruchus fab[ae]. Florida bean (Bot.), the seed of Mucuna urens, a West Indian plant. The seeds are washed up on the Florida shore, and are often polished and made into ornaments. Ignatius bean, or St. Ignatius's bean (Bot.), a species of Strychnos. Navy bean, the common dried white bean of commerce; probably so called because an important article of food in the navy. Pea bean, a very small and highly esteemed variety of the edible white bean; -- so called from its size. Sacred bean. See under Sacred. Screw bean. See under Screw. Sea bean.

   1. Same as Florida bean.

   2. A red bean of unknown species used for ornament.

      Tonquin bean, or Tonka bean, the fragrant seed of Dipteryx odorata, a leguminous tree.

      Vanilla bean. See under Vanilla.

n. A white bean of a variety of common bean, ''Phaseolus vulgaris'',

n. white-seeded bean; usually dried [syn: pea bean, white bean]

The navy bean, haricot or pearl haricot bean, white pea bean, or pea bean, is a class of the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris) native to the Americas, where it was domesticated. It is a small, dry white bean which is smaller than many other types of white beans, and has an oval, slightly flattened shape. It features in such dishes as baked beans and even pies, as well as in various soups such as Senate bean soup. Unlike most canned vegetables, which lose much of their nutritive value in the canning process, navy beans maintain their nutritive value when canned.

The plants that produce navy beans may be either of the bush type or vining type, depending on which cultivar they are.

Consumption of baked beans has been shown to lower total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This might be at least partly explained by high saponin content of navy bean. Saponins also exhibit antibacterial and anti-fungal activity, and have been found to inhibit cancer cell growth. Furthermore, navy bean is the richest source of ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid among the common bean varieties. It is commonly known as the "Navy Bean" due to its use as a staple of United States Navy rations in the 19th century.