they certainly look like hyacint beans, I grew them 2 summers as ornamentals.

"...similar, but i can't really eat them."

why, did they taste horrible ...;-)

I did a quick web search,

there seem to be about three different strains/ subspecies für

-greenmanure

-cattle feed

-for cooking

the dried seeds are used, seems similar to chickpeas,

but they contain toxins, so water/soak and and cook.

the use as vegetable is mentioned, pro ably young seed pod, COOKED

but unless you garden in a very warm zone (8+, a guess) you will have a hard time growing them. It is probably hard to get hold of the veggie type, but if you have space and time to spare, just go for it

----

and sometimes those weird veggies are edible but just not tasty

some sites say that hyacinth beans have poison, they have to be well cooked.

chinese people eat the beans in the picture. they look similar to hyacinth beans.

i can't find the english name for this bean.

The English name is Hyacinth Bean and the scientific name is Lablab purpureus. The BONAP map below shows that L. purpureus is able to survive in cold climates.

don't hyacinth beans all have purple colors? the ones in the photo don't really look purple.

When you translate the page, they're called lentils...

The color looks close, though they get much darker purple, but not the pods (for lablab purpureus, formerly dolichos lablab). They don't look much like the hyacinth beans we grow around here.

Gary

i am surprised that no one knows the english name for it.

it is a common bean that chinese eat. they look similar to hyacinth bean, no one grow that as a vegetable outside of china? or the chinese have been eating a poisonous bean for a long time?

Carol already told you the name. Lens culinaris...the lentil bean. Unless you are referring to one of the many other images that pops up on that site:

I saw these, among other various photos:

-lycium barbarum (goji/wolfberry)

-Vigna unguiculata (long beans, yardlong beans)

-Lo Han Guo (traditional Chinese drink...may also have been a Chinese bloody mary)

-bean sprouts of some sort

-mung bean noodles (? - might be yaki soba, sweet potato noodles or rice noodles)

-an attractive hairstyle

*-dolichos lablab ("bean moonshadow", aka. hyacinth bean; another popular edible bean with a bright red to purple pod in Asian cuisine)

*There is much controversy over the toxicity, or lackthereof, of hyacinth beans. Also, note there are different strains of hyacinth bean. The hyacinth bean that is used in Asian cuisine is dolichos lablab.

To be completely honest, I RARELY cook dolichos lablab, as we find it unpalatable (similar to lima beans, but myself and my family prefer lima beans), but my father-in-law loves them, so when he visits, I prepare them for him.

To be cautious, always SAFELY prepare, even if you are SURE you have the dolchios lablab strain. They all (aside from white) look remarkably similar.

You must boil the beans well, and change the water used for boiling often.

When I prepare them, I have my strainer in the sink, ready.

I use my soup pot (4 qt) and fill it with water and get the water boiling.

I also get my 20 qt stock pot out and fill it with water, and get it boiling. This is my reserve for when I need to change the water.

Once the water is boiling, I add the beans to the 4 qt stock pot. I boil for 5 minutes, then change the water, using the boiling water from my 20 qt stock pot. I use a ladle to transfer the water. I then add another 4 qts of water to the stock pot.

I change the water 4-6 times, every 3-5 minutes, depending on the amount of beans I am preparing.

I am extremely careful though (children), so others might prepare theirs with less frequent water changes.

As a kicker, those pretty pods don't stay vibrant red or purple, and you don't eat them; and the beans are a dull grayish purple - more gray than purple.