Snap beans are much like green beans, but they are usually harvested before they mature. They are then broken into pieces and boiled like green beans until tender. Snap beans are delicious cooked with salt and pepper, onions, new potatoes (the purple ones), and some hog's jowl or a piece of bacon. Snap beans are an excellent green bean replacement, and go well with red beans and rice, pork chops, or country ham.
Zydeco owes its name to snap beans.