Beans are a healthy food because they contain many nutrients: proteins (26%), carbohydrates (52%), fats (2,1%), lecithin, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron. Of course, these are general data, and each type of bean has slightly different percentage ratios of these substances.
Since ancient times, beans have been the main food and carrier of health for the people of our region. Many historical and ethnological data have been preserved about it, and a particularly important source is the book by Stanoj M. Mijatović, edited by Jovan Erdeljanović, Ph.D. and which was printed in 1908 in the State Printing House of the Kingdom of Serbia.
Healthy food: how were beans prepared in the old days?
In the old days, "lozaš" beans were used the most for preparing meals. Apart from this type of bean, many people cooked yellow "čučavac" and big red, which they called "chersnja". First they needed it, cleaned it, and then put it in the cooking pot.
They put old beans (from the previous year) in about a third of the pot, so that the beans could swell, and if they used new ones, they filled the pot to the top. Then they would wash it with water and pour cold water on it, then put it next to the fire. As soon as the beans boiled, they would change the water, and so on twice.
After that, they would add (usually) two heads of coarsely chopped onions, salt (to taste) and some fresh paprika. Then they would pour a third water over it and let it boil gently (it was not allowed to boil, because it was believed that the beans would not be tasty), until the onions were cooked. Those who did not have onions, used leeks. When the dish was ready, in some households, they would separate a part of the beans for "medžganje" (mashing, ed. author.), in order to make the dish "medjganik", i.e. mashed beans.
The part of the beans, which would remain in the pot, would be seasoned with another spoonful of vegetable oil. So that would be a lean version of beans.
In some houses, they also added a spraspka, fast food, which was prepared in the following way: they would pour two to three spoons of oil into the pan, and when it was heated on the fire, they would add finely chopped onions or leeks and half a spoon of ground red pepper. When the onion softened, they poured it all into the pot and mixed it well.
On fasting days, for serving, beans would be poured into a shallow dish or an earthen dish and corn or wheat bread would be crumbled into it, and it was called "fasting popara". Lent popara was served as the first dish for the celebration of Saint Nicholas, because it was believed that Saint Nicholas preferred to eat Lent popara.
Fatty beans were prepared in the same way, except that before cooking they added a piece of dried meat or bacon (in a piece or chopped). When beans are prepared with cured meats or bacon, they are usually not browned. But, in some houses, at the end, they added a beaten egg in milk or cream or just a spoonful of cream. Ointment is very rarely used as a spray.
Lean beans were prepared most often, and fatty beans were prepared very rarely.
So, make as many lean beans as possible and enjoy the benefits of healthy food. According to some scientific studies, the daily consumption of beans or other legumes can be associated with a five percent lower concentration of cholesterol in the blood.
Here are some recipes for preparing beans:
Beans from the pressure cooker
Prebranac beans - Recipes and Cookbook online
Lenten bean soup - Gvozdena Živković
Miodrag Ilić
READ: WHERE CAN I BUY THE BOOK TRADITIONAL RECIPES OF HOME SERBIAN CUISINE?
Read more:
The Recipes and Kuvar online portal is ranked among the TOP 50 websites in Serbia!
Don't miss a recipe - Recipes and cookbook online on Facebook. Stay tuned, follow the Recipes and Cookbook twitter notifications!
