Thursday 8 February 2024 05:06
Thursday, 8 February 2024, 05:06
PHOTO FB/SmilyanVisitorCenter
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Cheese cake and three kinds of appetizers, all made out of Smilyan beans, as well as an array of tasty, healthy and unorthodox dishes made of Smilyan beans – all of this and more is on the menu available to the visitors coming to Smilyan village for an initiative called “Rediscover and fall in love with beans”, or Bean Valentine, which is on until the end of the week. The initiative is connected with the date 10 February - World Pulses Day.
But why Smilyan? Because this village, located in the Rhodope mountain has the reputation of being one of the world’s capitals of beans and healthy eating. Here, the bean-growing traditions go back more than 250 years, and the tasty locally grown beans have come to be a symbol of Smilyan itself, but also of the upper reaches of the river Arda as a whole.
PHOTO Посетителски информационен център - Смилян
In 2023, Smilyan played host to a meeting of the Slow Beans international network, the first to take place outside Italy.
“This is a major token of appreciation of the efforts we have been making for more than two decades - as producers, as places of accommodation and catering establishments, and as institutions - to popularize this staple,” says, in an interview with Radio Bulgaria, Ilia Godev, secretary of the local chitalishte (community culture club) and coordinator of the community “Rhodopes-Smilyan: Traditional food and production practices from the region of the upper reaches of the Arda river”.
More:
- High adrenaline along the Arda River in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountain
- Village of Smilyan hosts the feast of the most iconic Bulgarian dish
- Rhodopean routes – exploring the village of Smilyan
Учениците в Смилян слушат беседа за фасула и ползите на здравословното хранене
PHOTO ОУ „Св.св. Кирил и Методий“- Смилян
The youngest citizens of Smilyan are given special attention during the campaign. For the kids from the village kindergarten there are games and educational activities focusing on a healthy diet, as well as a special lunch “bean” menu. For the children from the Saints Cyril and Methodius primary school there are educational lectures and quizzes on the subject of: What we don’t know about beans.
They have also been given an additional task – to track down and put down on paper traditional bean and pulses recipes from the region. At the end, there will be a contest for best picture of the recipes they have presented.
And, of course, there will be “prizes” for all participants in the initiative – with an unorthodox menu of the “fast food” kind that teenagers love so much – but not quite.
“At the school canteen they will get lunch – a Smylian bean and mayonnaise schnitzel, cooked with the water used to boil the beans,” Ilia Godev says. When it comes to beans, the locals demonstrate a unique kind of artistry. At the local tavern, visitors can choose from 12 different Smilyan bean dishes, like:
PHOTO Посетителски информационен център в Смилян
“Bean soup with penny bun, stewed beef with Smilyan beans, as well as a dish that has been emblematic since 2007 – breaded Smilyan beans. Families here love to experiment. For example, at the amateur cooking competitions during our annual Smilyan beans festival we have seen some unique dishes – like lamb shoulder stuffed with Smilyan beans or salty bean cake, even candy made of beans,” says Ilia Godev.
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: Saints Cyril and Methodius primary school, Smilyan; Smilyan Visitor Centre
This publication was created by: БНР екип