I guess it depends on who's "history" one follows...

by pokynojoe, Tuesday, April 02, 2013, 10:38 (4198 days ago) @ Bud

The navy bean and/or Great Northern(just another variety of Navy bean or "pea bean") lends itself well to soups and such. The larger, softer flesh of the pintos, lends well to absorbing any flavor one would wish to impart.

I can assure you, walk into any cafe or eatery throughout the Southern Appalachains or Cumberland Plateau and order a bowl of beans and you'll get a bowl of pinto beans, flavored with some kind of "pig part", a little bowl of diced onion on the side and a slab of cornbread.

Historically, the pinto bean was a major source of protein during the winter, throughout the Southern Appalachains, and probably throughout the entire Southeast.

If I was going to make a ham and bean soup, the Navy bean might be the better choice.

Around here, beans frequently are "the" meal. As such, the pinto is the better choice.

Having said all this, I guess it's really just another one of those "regional" things. There's really no "bad" bean, they're all very good for you, unless you suffer from gout, then you might want to eat them sparingly.