Steirische Käferbohne

 
Record Number: 141
 
Disclosure Date
The scarlet runner bean has been grown locally in Styria since the 19^th  century.  
 

Photo: BMLFUW/A...

Title
Steirische Käferbohne
(Styrian scarlet runner bean)  
 
 
 
 
 
Abstract or claim
Traditional cultivation of scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus L.) in Styria, mostly in the southeastern part of Styria. The word “Käferbohne” is the colloquial term in Austria for “Feuerbohne” (fire bean) (Phaseolus coccineus L.). This term mainly refers to variously speckled beans ranging in colour from purple-black to brown-beige.
Scarlet runner beans are mostly sold as ripe, dried beans and as processed (cooked) products. Fresh ripe beans are also available in season. The exceptional quality of the scarlet runner beans is due to the soil, which is particularly rich in minerals, and the specific Illyrian climate of the region. Another crucial quality factor is the traditional knowledge of scarlet runner bean farmers, which has been passed down from generation to generation. The scarlet runner bean farmers not only know about the best local varieties for the specific geographical conditions, but also the particular cultivation techniques and methods from harvesting, drying, storing, and cleaning all the way up to handpicking.   
 
Name of product, Product class
beans, vegetables  
 
Name of region
Styria (mainly southeastern part), Austria  
 
Field of search
Food and agriculture
 
Name of information provider
Landwirtschaftskammer Steiermark (Styrian Chamber of Agriculture)
Landesverband Steirischer Gemüsebauern (Styrian Vegetable Growers’ Association)  
 
Name of applicant for title
--- 
 
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
--- 
 
Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---  
 
Descriptors
- History:
Beans are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and originally come from Central America.
Records show that scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus L.) were first introduced to England and Spain at the end of the 16^th  century. A hundred years later they had already spread throughout Central and Northern Europe. It is assumed that they also made their way to Eastern Europe via the Crimea in the 17^th  century and that is why they are sometimes referred to as “Turkish beans”.
 
The scarlet runner bean has been grown locally in Styria since the 19^th  century. The dried scarlet runner beans were very popular, mainly because they were easy to store.
Commercial bean farming grew out of traditional household gardens (using stakes in the ground). There was a gradual shift away from labour-intensive hedgerow cultivation to growing beans together with corn as companion plants. However, hedgerow cultivation (like hops cultivation) can still be found in the region.
 
 - Region:
The growing area of Steirische Käferbohne is mainly in the southeastern part of Styria and includes the political districts of Bad Radkersburg, Feldbach, Weiz, Leibnitz, Deutschlandsberg, Graz-Umgebung, Hartberg and Fürstenfeld. 
 
Climate and soil conditions:
The Illyrian climate of the southeastern part of Styria is characterised by average yearly temperatures of around 10 °C, relatively high temperature fluctuations (20 - 25 °C) and plenty of precipitation (800 – 1000 mm), with peak precipitation in the summer months and autumn.    
 
The Illyrian climate is heavily influenced by Adriatic weather conditions, which usually results in rainy summers, mild autumns with some frosty nights and warm days, cold and dry winters and wet springs, sometimes starting as early as the end of February. 
 
The climatic conditions in summer offer just the right temperature and moisture for growing scarlet runner beans, which need a lot of heat. These conditions also ensure that the beans will reach optimal ripeness in October and November.
 
Scarlet runner beans are mainly cultivated in light to medium calcareous, humic clay soil with a pH level between 6 and 7.
The Steirische Käferbohne has become a culinary speciality due to the mineral-rich soil of the region.
 
- Steirische Käferbohne (Styrian scarlet runner bean):
General:
The varieties of scarlet runner beans cultivated in Styria are the landraces of Phaseolus coccineus L., legumes (Leguminosae), Papilionaceae subfamily (Faboideae).
 
In German, Phaseolus coccineus L. is also known as Feuerbohne (fire bean), Prunkbohne, Blumenbohne, Schminkbohne, Türkische Bohne (Turkish bean), Arabische Bohne (Arabic bean) or Rosenbohne. 
 
As a survey shows, the name “Käferbohne” is the word generally used in Styria for beans with a particular appearance. Thus, the term Käferbohne has been included in the Austrian dictionary. The origin of the word is not certain. It may have something to do with frequent attacks by bean weevils, since Käfer means bug, or it may be related to the similarity of the bean to the wing cases of insects. Another possibility is that the word “Käferbohne” is the result of a mistake made in passing down the word Körnerbohne (common bean) from generation to generation (like in the telephone game).
 
Description of the plant:
The scarlet runner bean is an herbaceous, climbing plant, which can climb several metres high. It is susceptible to frost and needs plenty of heat and water, especially when blossoming. 
The plant is an annual and is pollinated via cross-fertilisation. Thus, hybridisation with nearby varieties is possible and the offspring can exhibit various colours and markings. 
 
Flowers and seeds:
The flowers are about 1 cm large, grow at certain leaf axes and there may be clusters of 2 to 10 flowers on each flower stalk. The flowers are mainly scarlet (fire bean), but other shades and colours all the way up to white are possible.  
The pollinated flowers produce 4 cm to 25 cm long, dark green, fleshy pods, which contain up to 9 seeds (beans).
The seeds are kidney-shaped and are about 2.5 cm when raw.
 
Steirische Käferbohne mainly refers to variously speckled beans, ranging in colour from purple-black to brown-beige. These also include the varieties Bonela and Melange, which play a large role in the cultivation efforts in Styria.
 
- Method of production:
Cultivation:
The centre of the Austrian Käferbohne production is the southeastern part of Styria, where scarlet runner beans are grown on more than 200 hectares.
 
Sowing takes place between the end of April and the end of May, when the soil temperature is around 8 – 10 °C.
 
The Illyrian climate of the region guarantees that the soil will have the right degree of moisture for the seeds to germinate during the growing season.
 
The Steirische Käferbohne is grown according to different cultivation techniques. What all of the techniques have in common is that the beans have to be given a support so they can climb. Originally, this took the form of stakes (still used in household gardens today), and then later strings stretched between wires (hedges) and in mixed cultivation. In commercial cultivation, the scarlet runner beans are grown in labour-intensive hedgerow cultivation or in mixed cultivation with other agricultural crops (mainly corn, but occasionally sunflowers).
When growing in mixed cultivation with corn, early corn varieties which grow rapidly when they are young, have narrow leaves (light!), are very stable and have small kernels are best, so it is easier to separate the corn from the scarlet runner beans during the harvest.
 
Harvest:
The beans are harvested in autumn (mid-October to the beginning of November), when the beans reach physiological ripeness after the pods shrivel up.
The water content of the beans at the time of harvesting is about 40 %.
Scarlet runner beans which are cultivated together with corn are carefully harvested using special threshing machines. In the case of hedgerow cultivation, harvesting is done by hand. After harvesting, the scarlet runner beans must be separated quickly from the corn kernels. If they are separated too late, the corn kernels will dent the scarlet runner beans. They are separated using either flat sieve screens or centrifuges. After they are separated, the scarlet runner beans are dried. The beans have to be dried after harvesting because scarlet runner beans are very sensitive to moisture and will start to mould.   
 
Hedgerow cultivation yields 2 to 2.5 tonnes of beans per hectare and mixed cultivation with corn 0.8 to 1.5 tonnes.
 
On average, more than 250 tonnes of beans are harvested, which is about 90 % of the total Austrian scarlet runner bean production.
 
Plant material:
The scarlet runner beans come from local ecotypes, which have been cultivated in the region for more than a century and are thus so well adapted to the local environment that they are perfectly suited to the local soil and climatic conditions.
 
Organoleptic properties:
The organoleptic properties relate to cooked scarlet runner beans, since raw beans contain toxalbumin and thus can cause symptoms of poisoning. Cooked beans have a smooth shell and taste fine and creamy, with a flavour similar to chestnut and a tender, nutty aftertaste.
 
Economic benefits:
The scarlet runner bean is very important to the commercial success of Styrian farmers and is an important source of revenue. Cultivating the beans together with corn ensures that there is enough profitable production
 
Nutrition:
Scarlet runner beans are an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates and fibre and, at the same time, are very low in fat. The bean not only contains high levels of Vitamin B, but also a portion of scarlet runner beans covers the daily need of trace elements such as manganese and selenium.
100 g of cooked scarlet runner beans have a calorific value of 460 kilojoules and contain around 66 g of water, 7.6 g of protein, 0.4 g of fat, 19.7 g of carbohydrates and 5.4 g of fibre. In terms of minerals and vitamins, the portion contains around 36 mg of calcium, 1.5 mg of iron, 5 mg of sodium, 1.5 mg of Vitamin A (RE) and 0.3 mg of Vitamin C.
Raw beans contain toxic protein compounds, which are known as toxalbumin, whose active ingredient phasin (1.2 %) can lead to serious symptoms of poisoning even in small amounts. The structure of this toxin is destroyed when it is heated to 75 °C, so cooked beans are quite safe to eat.
 
Connection between the geographical area and traditional knowledge:
- The characteristics of scarlet runner beans are a result of the natural,
  geographical factors of the region, especially the specific environmental
  conditions (climate and soil) of the growing area, and the genotypic
  development of the plant material, which has adapted to these conditions.
- The cultivation of the scarlet runner bean is the result of traditional
  knowledge, which has been passed down from generation to generation:
  experience and expertise of the producers in the selection and propagation
  of landraces, the type of cultivation techniques, the suitability of
  geographical conditions (soil and climate), drying and storage and the
  expertise of the processors and marketers.
 
- Utilisation:
Steirische Käferbohne scarlet runner beans are sold fresh, dried and pickled.
Before use, the dry scarlet runner beans must be soaked in water for 12 to 14 hours. They swell to four times their size and can then be cooked.

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

Steirische Käferbohne scarlet runner beans are an integral part of the traditional diet of Styria. Regional wine taverns usually serve Styrian scarlet runner bean salad, which normally comes with a dressing of Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.G.I. The Steirische Käferbohne scarlet runner beans are also used to make delicious snacks, soups, main courses and desserts.
The scarlet runner beans are also cultivated in the region for their decorative value as a flowering, shade giving-vine that also provides some privacy from outside viewers.
 
- Protection: 
-   
 
Key Words
Food and agriculture, traditional knowledge, Austria, region, Styria, southeastern Styria, vegetables, beans, Phaseolus coccineus L,Styrian scarlet runner bean
   
Bibliography / References
- Bean, Scarlet Runner -- Phaseolus coccineus L.1
  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MV023
- Estyria
  http://www.kaeferbohne.at/
- Feuerbohne
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feuerbohne  
- Gartenbohnen
  http://www.arche-noah.at/etomite/index.php?id=188#zuechtung  
- Genuss Region Steiermark, die besten Rezepte
  http://www.eog.at/111/Kaeferbohnenrezepte.pdf  
- Genuss Region Österreich
  www.genuss-region.at  
- Gudrun Haas. Kulinarik + Handwerk
  http://www.suedoststeiermark.at/index.php?module=kulinarisch  
- Käferbohnen, bodenständig steirisch echt
  http://www.hofradl.at/index.php?id=86  
- Käferbohne, Phaseolus spp., Synonym: Römische Bohne
  http://www.xn--obst-gemse-heb.at/product/pages/kaeferbohne  
- Online etymology dicitionary
  http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=h&p=11  
- Österreichisches Programm zur Förderung einer umweltgerechten,
  extensiven und den natürlichen Lebensraum schützenden Landwirtschaft.
  Sortenliste „seltene landwirtschaftliche Kulturpflanzen“. ÖPUL 2000
- Phaseolus coccineus
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean  
- Phaseolus - Datenbank
  http://www.arche-noah.at/Sortendatenbanken/Bohnen/datenbeschreibung_bohnen.htm
- Taliman Sluga „Bohn´appetit
  Steirerkraft
  www.steirerkraft.com  
- SCARLET RUNNER BEAN
  http://www.beeculture.com  
  http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-526752/scarlet-runner-bean  
- Scarlet Runner Bean
  http://www.sd1new.net/GardenPages/scarlet_runner_bean.htm  
- Südoststeirische Käferbohnen um Halbenrain
  Verein zur Förderung des Steirischen Vulkanlandes, Dörfl
  Kulturanleitung zur Steirischen Käferbohne, Gartenbauabteilung LK Steiermark
  http://www.raumplanung.steiermark.at/cms/beitrag/10595357/690107/
 
All internet references last accessed on 3 April 2009.
  
Language Code
German
 
Product of www.genuss-region.at  
Genussregion Südoststeirische Käferbohne  
 
Regional contact
Landesverband Steirischer Gemüsebauern,
Hamerlinggasse 3
A-8010 Graz
Tel.: 03168 0 50 16 10 bzw. 0664 60 25 96 16 10
E-mail: Josef.Weber@lk-stmk.at
 
Authors: Eva Sommer, Erhard Höbaus
 

30.01.2012, Lebensministerium III/4