They are also known as Borlotti Bean which originated in Native areas now referred to as South and Central America. Peru and Oaxaca in particular are hotbeds of biodiversity where they were developed. They are also Bush rather than Pole beans. They were taken to the European Continent where it became a staple, since 1495, along with the Cannellini bean, which is a White Kidney bean. I am sure they are very closely related to the Pinto and cross-pollinated possibly over the centuries, but cannot find info on this as a possibility - they do react and taste differently. This bean and the Cannellini are now favorites in Italy..
