New-York tribune., 1908-12-26
BosToN's APPETITE FOR BEANS.
Half a Million Bushels Year Eaten-Great
Bakeries That Prepare Them.

Five hundred thousand bushels o. beans are re-
ceved and consumed here each year. says The Bos-
ton Herald" That is equal to 100000 quarts. But
these figures are for the raw. uncooked beans. The
actual consumption is really double that or S2000000
quarts of baked beans: for a quart Of beans put
into the oven in its pot viii swell to such extent
during the process OF baking that one quart Will
actually make quarts IL bulk
Taking the sale OF beans by the wholesale dealers,
the prices paid for them by the people who bake
beans in their homes, the money put out by
the bakeries and the dig bean-bakiug establish
rnents that supply hotels and restaurants, and the
price laid down for = plate Of them BY those who
indulge their appetJes N this frugal fare in patron
iztng the purveyors Of baked beans at eating
houses. and it is figured that the yearly baked
bill OF Boston is close TO 100000. That seems
like pretty large sum. but 1t is considered mod
est estimate of the amount Of money that the Hub
spends on baked beans every year.
All the bakeries in the city surn out baked beans
every day part of their reEUiar business and IN
addition there three OF fotr establishments de-
voted exclusively to the busi2ess Of baking beans.
anu On Sl75 J SIS 5 fo bar f1r1v -lls 9e 9
Tne dweuers in Little italy in the North End
and the Jewish population IL the West End take
as largely and as kindly u baked Deans as ever
did a native of New England, and they are
large customers Of this staple Boston article OF
diet. In fact, baked beans possess charm Tor al
nationaitie5 who come 10 the home of them and
get taste of the genuine product No matter
from what country Of The earth a man may hail,
when he plants himself in Boston he soon becomes
d loyal devotee OF the bean pot That Is why the
crease mere. and instead OF glOo00OOO Boston Will
be spending $4,000 600 a year Tor beans.
Down in the heart Of the North End IS a bakery
that turns from 500 TO 1000 quarts of beans a
day mostly for Italian consumption At this
bakery and in fact at almost every large bakery
in the city where beans are baked, the beans are
placed in the about I clock in the morning
and remain there until 3 O'Clock in the evening.
when they taken out, and the rush Of people
for the bakeshCp starts. They carry the beans
aWav 20 their homes in ono two quart pots.
The preparation and baking OF the beans Is an
interesting operation In those establishments
where beans only baked il is done huge
scale There great kettles that hold TWO or
three bushels OF beans and into these they are
put 70 soak and parboL Then the pots varying
in size from quart two gallons. ranged
around tables and filed from the big kettles for
ths ovens
The ovens IN which the beans are baked are huge
brick affairs glowing red with heat. The capacity
OF some Of them is enormous. being fully two
hundred quarts each Filled with the ioaded nots,
they present sight well worth heholding- There
floats out when the oven doors are oDeu an odor
delicious that beside II the famed odor or Araby
the Blest would Ike cheap l0-ceut perfume
At the regular baked bean establishments the
beans baked overnight. removed from the
oven earlv in the morning and then loaded into
wagons for delivery 10 hotels. restaurants and
Iunch rooms I'm time for hrea kfast.
Saturday Is the great day for beans az the bake
shops. The demand IS the largest then. the beans
being wanted for both Saturday evening supper
and Sunday morning breakfast, although Wednes-
day IL also. big bean day when large quantities
are called IN.