I've been vaguely aware that English folks were into baked beans, but I hadn't taken the opportunity to explore them until now. I saw some Heinz baked beans in tomato sauce in the alternate Shop-Rite, in the same aisle that had some foreign foods. A quick look at the label confirmed that they were indeed made in England, so I bought myself a can.
I've heard about the English loving baked beans in general, and Heinz's beans in particular, and this caused me some confusion. Because Heinz is an American company, based out of western Pennsylvania, starting in the late 1800's. (If you want a more detailed account of Heinz's origins, check out my post on the Dutch made salad cream dressing on June 8th, 2019.) So what gives? Well, all of that is true. However, Heinz exported some canned baked beans to England starting in 1886. For quite some time this was a niche treat, as only one store, the upmarket department store Fortnum & Mason, sold them. Because of this store's "upmarket-ness" and because they were imported, the beans were relatively expensive. However, in 1905 the first Heinz bean factory was opened in England, in South London. Another followed in 1919. Because they were now locally made, prices plummeted. Thus, Heinz's baked beans became popular to people of all economic classes. During World War II, they even received an "essential food" designation for wartime rationing purposes. Therefore, baked beans, and Heinz's baked beans in particular, became an addition to the traditional "full English breakfast." Similar versions are called the "full Scottish breakfast," or the "full Welsh breakfast,"--you get the idea, part of breakfasts for folks with United Kingdom backgrounds, such as former colonies. If you're curious (I was), the traditional full English breakfast has some variants, but most commonly it consists of bacon, sausage, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, and fried bread or toast, washed down with tea. Other fairly common additions include the Heinz baked beans (often put on the bread or toast), black (blood) pudding, and coffee. Aside from being part of traditional breakfasts, Heinz beans are also typical fare in cafes and pubs. (You usually don't find them on the menus in posh, high-end restaurants, though.) Otherwise, English baked beans differ from their American counterparts in that the latter usually are made with molasses and/or brown sugar, while the British ones aren't. Meaning the English beans are less sweet, and more savory. On the cultural front, Heinz baked beans have been featured in the English television program "Dr. Who." And a popular advertising campaign in the 1960's and beyond came up with the slogan "Heinz Meanz Beanz," and even up until the present some English Heinz cans (mis)spell "beans" that way. (Not mine, alas.)
Heinz beans with tomato sauce: The beans were tannish-white, in a red tomato sauce. They had a slight beany odor. And they tasted like beans in tomato sauce. Or decent. Oddly, considering what I later learned about the ingredients, the sauce was a tad sweet. (Despite the lack of molasses and/or brown sugar.) Plain I liked these, but didn't love them. With some hot sauce mixed in they were improved, as the spiciness helped. I also mixed in some Vienna sausages, and this also made them more interesting. I didn't have them on bread or toast--I didn't find out that this was one of the traditional English ways of eating them until afterwards. All in all I would recommend these beans slightly. They weren't spectacular or anything, but they were okay. Maybe I'll pick up another can and try them on toast. If I do, I'll re-edit this post and include my thoughts on that combination.
Perhaps not surprisingly, given their cultural importance, baked beans have been the subject of at least two museum exhibits. A man named Captain Beany (nee Barry Kirk) ran a museum dedicated to beans, including Heinz's contribution, out of his council flat (aka apartment) in Port Talbot, Wales from 2009-23. And in 2019 there was a pop up exhibit about Heinz Beanz specifically in Covent Gardens, in London.
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