If you were to ask three people what they thought succotash was, you would probably get three different answers, and none of them correct.

            They might remember it as an expression used by that saliva-spraying  Sylvester in old cartoons. Or like my husband, Jordan, think it was some sort of cabbage hash thing. He says that he has always associated it with something he wouldn’t eat. I’ve always thought it was some sort of pork hocks/grits thing. I have no idea where that impression came from, but it definitely didn’t sound like something I would eat.

            Succotash is nothing more than lima beans and corn, seasoned with butter, salt and pepper, sometimes with cured meat for flavour. Unless, of course, Emeril is making it, then it becomes a butternut squash succotash with a list of 20 ingredients.

            The Narragansett Indians of New England took the name for this dish from their word msickquatash, which means, “boiled whole kernel corn.” If Jordan wouldn’t eat something called succotash, he certainly wouldn’t eat msickquatash!

            Lima beans are not a food I necessarily associate with New England. The bean originated in Peru and was named for its capital, Lima. (I wonder why we don’t pronounce the bean leemuh?) Early Spanish sailors discovered that the dried beans kept extremely well, and appeared to be a good source of nourishment. The bean eventually spread throughout North America and into Europe with the explorers and migrating native tribes.

            What both the sailors and Indians had discovered purely by intuition was that the lima bean is an extremely valuable source of Vitamin B, amino acids, and minerals. Any vegetarian, who is aware of the importance of complementary proteins, is aware that certain foods in combination will provide the much-needed complete proteins found in meat. Lima beans contain one of the harder to obtain amino acids, lysine, which is essential for proper body functioning.

It was once a common practice to grow corn and lima beans together- intercropping- the corn stalk acting as the support for the bean to grow on. I can’t believe that hundreds of years ago, this was done because someone had recognized the importance of creating a “complete protein.” The combination of lima beans and corn seems to have been a match made by the God of Good Nutrition!

            I have been a fan of lima beans since my days as a strict vegetarian. Then I was an avid follower of Francis Moore Lappé’s hugely popular Diet for a Small Planet. Not only were the beans a good source of nutrients, I also found that the beans gave me the feeling of being full and the meaty chewiness was satisfying. Because of its rich, creamy texture, the bean is known as the “butter bean” in some regions.

            Today, most lima beans used for commercial purposes, are grown in California. Although there are varieties of the bean that will grow in cooler regions, the bean generally prefers warmer climates. (Don’t we all!) The beans we find most often growing in North America are either the larger Fordhook or the Baby lima, which is not a baby anything, just a small variety of the bean. The package I currently have in my freezer says it is “assorted sizes.” I’m not sure what that means.

            I have also had fresh lima beans once, although I cannot seem to recall where I found them. Perhaps it was at the Gabriola farmers’ market? I remember finding it odd eating something that I thought came only frozen or in a can. How urbanized can one person be!

            I always have a bag of the beans in the freezer, which I add to everything from canned soups to scrambled eggs. I also keep some dried on hand, just in case I ever get the inclination to make soup from scratch, or more probably, to stuff bean bags.

            After reading what I had already written about the lima bean, Jordan was reminded that when he was a kid, he and his brother and sisters used to fight over who got the single lima bean in a can of vegetable soup. Odd what some families find amusing, isn’t it!

            Back to succotash, I have probably had this dish many times, but simply called it  “lima beans and corn.” I was thinking that it might make a nice side dish for Christmas dinner, perhaps with some sun-dried tomato or pimento for colour and some allspice or cumin for seasoning. And if I call it a corn and bean casserole, I might even get Jordy to eat it!