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| Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity |
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25/11/2009 |
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Beans from the Rhodope Mountains
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In the upper Arda valley of the Rhodope mountains, close to the border with Greece, a small community of mountain dwellers has been successfully growing beans for at least 250 years. The local soil and climate, marked by temperatures which are never excessively hot in summer, and a significant difference between day and night temperatures, provide excellent conditions for growing legumes.
Every family grows modest amounts of beans on their small plots of land, which fit perfectly into the landscape. They all practice intercropping with crops such as corn and potatoes, providing a reduced use of chemical products and a reduced impact on the soil.
 There are two types of Smilyan bean. The first, smaller, type is brown with black streaks and is used in soups or Trahna, a traditional stew of beans and corn from this area.
The second type is a larger white or purple bean with streaks, and is used in salads or fried with a mixture of water, flour and eggs.
They are both very popular, not only in the local community (where they are a staple of the local diet), but throughout the region. Unfortunately beans from elsewhere are frequently misrepresented as the Smilyan product, depressing market prices and creating unfair competition for the local small producers of the upper Arda valley.
The Slow Food Foundation will work with the producers to select the seeds of the Smilyan variety, to improve preservation methods and product packaging. It will focus on defining a set of production rules ensuring the current low environmental impact cultivation methods are preserved.
Another reason for setting up a Presidium for Smilyan beans was to recognize a community which for years has been fighting to defend this variety and protect it from inferior imitators. A mark of their resolve is that all the farmers of the valley have joined a cooperative now numbering over 1000 members: this is an impressive result considering the reluctance to undertake any form of collective action in former communist countries.
The Presidium was launched on the occasion of the 7th Festival of Smilyan beans, an event promoted by the mayor of the village with the support of the Slow Food Smilyan Rhodopi convivium. So for the last seven years, the last weekend of October has been an opportunity for the community to celebrate their beans, accompanied by performances, dancing and competitions, including one for the best producer of the year.
Smilyan beans have become the third Slow Food Presidium in Bulgaria, joining Tcherni Vit Green Cheese and the Presidium for Karakachan sheep.
Information on the Smilyan Bean Presidium will soon be available on the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity website
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