Writing — Travel, Food & Photography
Have You Ever Seen a Green Bean Like This Before?
This is what they call Bodi in Trinidad & Tobago
Every two or three weeks we like to head to the big farmer’s market in Tunapuna to stock up on fresh fruits, veggies and herbs. I love finding things I haven’t tried before.
I’ve seen these unique looking green-bean-like things called bodi, bora or yard bean before but had yet to try them. Like most everything I’ve tried in Trinidad since arriving here (over a year ago now!)… I ended up loving it!
So, I washed them up, got out my cutting board and proceeded to cut them up into bite-sized pieces. They can also be snapped, which I might do next time just to get the experience. My family used to grow green beans sometimes when I was a kid, and we used to pick them and snap them, so I kinda miss the snapping process.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a fabulous recipe for zucchini I found on YouTube:
So, I decided to see how well it would work on the bodi.
No suspense here, it turned out great! Quite delicious.
How does it compare to a typical green bean? To me, the flavor is much more mild. I feel like this bean does a better job at picking up the flavor of whatever is added while cooking… in this case fresh dill, garlic and paprika… yum!
Just a few facts…
According to this article in the Trinidad’s Daily Express, the bodi hails from Africa, where they eat the leaves of the plant as well. At some point in time, it caught on well in Southeast Asia, where many may know it as the Chinese long bean or snake bean (or various other names).
As a plant, Bodi loves heavy rain and lots of sun while in its growing phase. Check and check… got lots of both of those here! It is also very nutritious as it is high in vitamins C and K and provides protein and fiber, as well.
More info…
Here’s a great web page with information on “How to Grow Bodi” in the Caribbean from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in TT.
There’s a traditional dish here called fry bodi that I really need to try cooking next time. Check out this great recipe from Caribbean Pot: “How To Cook Fry Bodi”.
And, of course, it can also be curried, like in this recipe from We Trini Food: Trinidad Curry Bodi: Simple Curried Long Beans Recipe” or this great video from Foodie Nation (my husband loves watching their videos!): “How To Make Curry Bodi”.
Have you tried bodi before? Let me know!
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