A variety of

adzuki bean ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an Annual plant, annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar ...

s (''Vigna angularis'') that are black. In Korean, they are called ''geomeunpat'' (; "black adzuki beans"), ''geomjeongpat'' (; "black adzuki beans"), ''heukdu'' (; "black beans"), or ''heuksodu'' (; "black small beans"). '' Gugeupbang eonhae'', a 1466 medical book, mentions it using the name ''geomeunpɑt'' (). The skin is thinner than that of the usual red adzuki beans, thus it is often husked prior to cooking, which gave this

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

the name ''geopipat'' (; "dehulled adzuki beans"). White adzuki bean powder (''geopipat-gomul'') and

white adzuki bean paste Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or g ...

(''geopipat-so'') made from husked black adzuki beans are used in Korean

rice cakes A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

and

confections Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

. Confusingly, the Japanese

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

n ''kuroazuki'' (; "black adzuki beans") are not adzuki beans, but black

cowpea The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus ''Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few input ...

s (''Vigna unguiculata'').

References

Edible legumes Korean cuisine Korean vegetables Vigna {{phaseoleae-stub