Baked beans originated from the first peoples of the Americas, who prepared cooked beans by soaking and baking them, a method traced back as far as 1500 BC in the Maya civilization. Native American tribes such as the Iroquois, Narragansett, and Penobscot made early baked bean recipes using native beans cooked slowly with maple syrup and animal fat in earthenware pots or underground pits. When British colonists arrived in New England, they adopted this cooking method, substituting ingredients like molasses for maple syrup and bacon or salt pork for bear fat. This fusion created the foundation of the modern baked bean dish known in New England, particularly in Boston, which became famous for its version sweetened with molasses and flavored with pork. Variations of baked beans also spread to Canada and other regions, often adapted to local tastes and available ingredients.
