French beans are called string beans and snap beans in English and chavalicha shenga in Marathi. These are popular in salads and side dishes in healthy meals. French beans are eaten raw as well as cooked. You can boil, sauté, steam or microwave French beans. Probably the best thing about French beans is that it is easy to grow and heavy cropping, which means that a novice gardener can easily grow them and enjoy large quantities through a single plant.