The kidney bean is a variety of the common bean. It is named for its visual resemblance in shape and – for the red variety – colour to a human kidney. Red kidney beans should not be confused with other red beans, such as adzuki beans or pinto beans.

Classification

There are different classifications of kidney beans, such as:

• Red kidney bean (also known as: common kidney bean, rajma in India, surkh (red) lobia in Pakistan).
• Light speckled kidney bean (and long shape light speckled kidney bean).
• Red speckled kidney bean (and long shape light speckled kidney bean).
• White kidney bean (also known as cannellini in Italy, lobia in India, or safaid (white) lobia in Pakistan).