NYT Strands goes full foodie with a theme all about beans
Spangram BEANSALAD mixes things up across the grid
Theme words highlight popular legumes from global cuisines
Gut-busting guffaws and filling feasts aside, this week’s New York Times Strands puzzle makes a lighthearted but accurate leap into the realm of legumes. Entitled ‘The Magical Fruit,’ this grid sends players on an adventure of discovery around the world of beans, the nutrient-dense little workhorses of nature.
With every discovered word, the puzzle creates a colorful salad of edible gems. For wordplay and culinary puzzle enthusiasts alike, this edition is a real delight.
Strands adheres to its signature format: a 6x8 grid of letters hiding several themed words. The puzzle’s crown jewel is the spangram, a word that spans the width of the board, reflecting the thematic focus of the puzzle. The objective? To find all the hidden words and, in the end, expose the spangram for a full solve.
Start by finding four-letter words and longer. These early discoveries will appear unrelated, but they increasingly work toward a common theme, in this day’s case, one of food. As words continue to appear, the grid starts to reveal itself as a tasty selection of legumes, each part of the larger picture. These processes together work to lead solvers to the discovery of the central word.
The spangram BEANSALAD for the grid runs across the puzzle like a delectable platter of assorted legumes. With it, it anchors the theme in clarity and poise, making it clear that each word in the puzzle adds to a nutritious and flavorful medley.
Each of the words discovered in the grid is a different kind of bean, blending with the spangram to enhance the challenge’s flavor:
GREEN: The fresh and versatile green bean
KIDNEY: A rich red bean, firm
BLACK: A Latin American favorite
FAVA: A Mediterranean favorite, buttery and nutty
CANNELLINI: A rich white bean, a common ingredient in Italian food
NAVY: Small and bland, great for soups
PINTO: A speckled favorite in most burrito bowls
All combined, these words turn the puzzle into a verbiage recipe that honors bean diversity and nutrition.
Far from another mere word search, today’s Strands presents a playful but rewarding meditation on one of the world’s most popular foods. With BEANSALAD strung across the board like a tasty theme dish, every other word adds a new texture and flavor. Scanning the grid and finding each ingredient, you’re not merely a puzzle solver; you’re constructing a banquet. And perhaps, yes, prompting your next meal.