Fava beans maybe?

Jim

jimster, they are definately not favas. Favas are fat beans. The pickled beans are very flat - not fat.

Maybe large flat limas? several varieties exist.

Can you buy some and take a picture?

Possibly one of the large white runners (Phaseolus coccineus), there are quite a few different varieties, Gigandes from Greece for one.

Annette

aftermidnight, that looks a lot like the one I referred to.
Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: It looks like this bean

Names can be so confusing at times, I have one called Samos Greek Lima originally from Greece it's definitely a runner not a lima, it's said to taste like a lima though. The Gigandes I have is also a runner not a lima.

Annette

If the beans are flat like the photo, then they are most likely a large-seeded lima. "Hija" is a variety that would match the description. I've seen very large limas sold as dry beans in ethnic markets, under the brand name Goya.

Interesting to see Purcell selling a lima as "Gigandes", when several of us here have recently acquired the authentic Greek "Gigandes"... which is a very large white seeded runner bean. Who knows, that may in fact be what they are selling, since Purcell sometimes has misleading descriptions (such as duplicate photos for two different varieties).