Green flageolet beans—also known as flageolets verts or green kidney beans—are native to central France and Brittany. They’re steeped in French tradition and can be traced back to Gabriel Chevrier, a farmer outside Paris who accidentally grew the varietal that would become prized among French chefs. Flageolets are harvested before they’re mature, which means they retain a light, cheerful chartreuse color and a delicate, slightly grassy flavor. When cooked, flageolets hold their shape, remaining creamy and toothsome but not falling apart, which makes them an ideal pick for classic French dishes like cassoulet, a slow-cooked casserole.

These green lentils from Sabarot are true Le Puy lentils; like Champagne, no lentils grown outside the Puy region can claim the name of this cherished legume (in fact, they’re protected with a special designation from the French government). Lentils du Puy differ from standard green lentils in size and color; they’re roughly one-third of the size, which contributes to their unparalleled sturdiness, and darker in hue. They’re perfect for recipes that require longer or harder cooking, and cook up tender without falling apart—try them in soups, stews, lentil salads and or alongside fish. The microclimate and volcanic soil where these lentils are grown give the lentils their unique, sought-after taste: earthy, nutty and peppery, sometimes with a slight flintiness or mineral-quality in the background.

Grown in Aisne, France, since the 11th century, Soissons-style white beans get their distinctive, slightly sweet taste from being grown alongside grapevines in vineyards, as they grow along nets or on poles. The beans are roughly half-inch across and can swell to about twice their size when soaked or cooked. They look almost like lima beans; their thin, pale skin gives way to silky, buttery, ultra-creamy flesh with a light sweetness. In the year 2000, only seven producers of Soissons remained in France. The French government planned a revival of these prize beans, and today, over 45 producers exist. While not quite as large as gigante beans, these can be used interchangeably in a variety of dishes.