Christmas Lima Bean

The Christmas Lima is a famous heritage variety of Lima bean AKA “butter beans” (Phaseolus lunatus).

The large beans have a very distinct and attractive speckled pattern of white and maroon-red.

Lima beans are traditionally used as shelled dried beans for cooking.

The flavours and texture of Christmas Lima beans are often described as creamy but firm, rich flavours with notes of roasted chestnut and butter.

The large beans are excellent for stews, soups, casseroles and slow-cooked dishes. We have also used them as a salad, dressed with some virgin olive oil and sea salt allowing their rich nutty flavours to stand out.

Lima beans like a warm climate which is why they are grow reliably under cover, e.g. greenhouses. They will grow outside in Ireland but with lower yields.

Some additional information

Lima beans originate from the Andes region of Peru where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. They were exported to the rest of the world from the port of Lima in crates labelled Lima. Since they made an impression they became widely known as Lima Beans.

Christmas Lima beans have a very distinct speckled pattern that evokes festive “Christmas” associations, hence the descriptive name Christmas Lima. Other descriptive names sometimes used in older catalogues are: Giant Speckled Lima, Large Speckled Lima, Chestnut Lima, Giant Peruvian Lima and Calico Lima.

There are many varieties of Lima bean available. However, it should be noted that Christmas Lima beans tend to be noted as among the varieties with the best flavour or even the best variety.