Did You Know. . .

that black beans are also known as turtle beans?

that beans were one of the first foods gathered according to archeologists?

that the black bean was the first bean species to be domesticated over 8,000 years ago?

that ingested beans sometimes cause gas (really?!) due to oligosaccharides, "complex sugars that---because they're indigestible by normal stomach enzymes---proceed into the lower intestine where they're eaten (and fermented) by friendly bacteria, the result of which is gas" (The New Food Lover's Companion, Barron's. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series)

Resources:  http://www.ehow.com/about_5075429_black-beans.html