Pochas are white beans with a mellow flavor, commonly used in northern Spanish cuisine. They come in two sub-varieties and are often served with meat or seafood. Pochas are low in cholesterol and high in calcium and carbohydrates. They can also be served without meat or seafood and are often sold in local markets with peppers and tomato. The word pocha can have different meanings in different Spanish-speaking countries.
Pochas are kidney-shaped or cranberry-shaped white beans with a mellow flavor and common in the Basque region of Spain as well as Navarre and Rioja. In Spanish, the word pocha means pale, and these beans are often harvested just before or just as they ripen. As a result, some may even appear slightly green. They are often served in autumn stew, widower with tomato, green pepper and olive oil or with sausage or quail. Pochas can be purchased throughout the year in jars or cans.
This type of bean is commonly used in cuisines throughout northern Spain and comes in two sub-varieties. Arrinonada is shaped like a bean with thicker skin, while boio is similar to a cranberry with thinner skin and more starch. They are grown on local farms and sown in March. All types of pocha are harvested in the fall just as they ripen from green to white and are served while still very fresh as opposed to dried and rehydrated. They are an inexpensive but traditional ingredient found in the simplest and most complex dishes of the region.
This type of haricot is low in cholesterol and high in calcium and carbohydrates. Since the best time to harvest picas coincides with wildfowl season in the fall, these legumes are often served with quail. A sausage called chorizo is also commonly added to pochas dishes, such as lamb chops, hock or tail. In areas closer to the coast, these beans are often cooked with clams. During holidays in Tudela, a traditional pochas dish includes eel.
When served without meat or seafood, these beans are called widowers or fasters. They are often sold in local markets in plastic bags with tomato and some green peppers so that cooks can buy all the ingredients needed for widowed or fasting pocha at once. A typical way to cook this bean dish is to boil the legumes with peppers, tomato and garlic and then add the olive oil after draining. The beans can also be sauteed in olive oil with garlic, tomato and pepper. Other ingredients include peeled carrot and salted pork.
The peppers commonly served with these beans are guindilla or masters. These are small green varieties that range from sweet and mild to hot and tangy. They are similar to Greek pepperoncini. Paprika can also be added to cooking pocha for added spice, while a little salt will keep the cooked beans from hardening.
The word pocha can have meanings other than culinary ones, depending on the Spanish-speaking country. Mexicans may use this term pejoratively to refer to female Chicanas who have rejected their Mexican heritage and culture. It doesn’t always have negative connotations, however, and can be used to express pride in having dual American and Mexican roots.
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