In celebration of Hispanic History Month lets talk about beans! Native Americans ate beans in number of ways including soaking them and then baking, boiling, or pulverizing them. They also first parched or toasted beans to make it easier to grind them into a powder or flour used for fast bean dishes. We know for examples Native Americans in Mesoamerica smashed boiled beans and then refried them before eating them with corn tortillas often garnished with salsa made with tomatoes, wild onions, and different types of chilies. They also added corn dough to boiled beans as a thickener also eating them with tortillas.