Long Beans are an ancient vegetable, with wild varieties of these plants still growing in tropical Africa, where they were likely introduced from Southeast Asia. The long bean is also known as the long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean. They have a very pronounced flavor and have a distinctly beany taste, and are not sweet like the green bean. Long beans work best briefly steamed, stir-fried, or braised, but also hold up well when added to stews. If you want them to be more juicy, blanch before stir frying. Long beans should be cut into 1-2 inch lengths for cooking. They should be stir fried or boiled, rather than steamed, which tends to make them too soft.