I live in the southwest, and pinto beans, black beans, and red beans are common in a lot of dishes. Less common, but historically used in this area are bolitas and a host of locally-grown beans (see the link)

I'm not a fan of pinto or bolita beans, too beany for me. Around here they are usually cooked with onions, garlic, and sometimes green chile as a side dish (not soup), which makes them palatable. ;-) They are both an ugly color when cooked, though.

Red beans are common in Texas-style chile, and I use them in a Portugese kale soup, too. They hold their shape well, have good color, and good flavor on their own or with red chile.

Black beans are cooked as a side dish like the pintos, and we eat them in soup and other dishes. They have a neutral flavor, similar to red beans but a bit firmer. Again, they hold their shape well, and as a side dish they are a lovely dark color, but in other dishes they color everything else a dingy dark.

Finally, my last commonly used beans are cooked dried butter (lima) beans, in a Tuscan style bean and sausage soup. The beans hold their shape, barely, but are creamy and soft and delicious. I also marinate the cooked beans in a tomato vinagrette and serve them as a salad. Yummy!

So, yes, I do prefer specific dried beans for specific recipes. Part of it is taste and texture, but part is also what the beans look like on the plate or in the bowl.

Catherine

Here is a link that might be useful: Native Seeds/SEARCH