Calories in Beans, Dry, Carioca (0% moisture)

What makes beans so powerful?

Carioca beans are a cultivar of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and the single most consumed dry bean variety in Brazil, where per-capita bean intake ranks among the highest in the world. The name comes from "carioca," the demonym for people from Rio de Janeiro, reportedly because the bean's light beige background streaked with brown evoked the cobblestone patterns of Rio's streets. When cooked, the streaks dissolve and the bean turns a uniform pale brown. Like all Phaseolus vulgaris cultivars, carioca beans accumulate phaseolin as their primary storage protein, which is relatively low in the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine. This is the biochemical reason beans are traditionally paired with rice across Latin America: cereal proteins are richer in methionine while legume proteins contribute more lysine, so the combination yields a more complete amino acid profile than either food alone. Carioca beans also contain alpha-amylase inhibitors and lectins that are fully inactivated only after thorough cooking at boiling temperature, which is why undercooked beans can cause gastrointestinal distress regardless of variety.