FASOLADA(Greek bean soup)

Fasolada is one of the Greek traditional dishes that are eaten in Greece. They come from these special types of plants called “Fasolia”; in English: bean plants. It is a Greek plant that grows a special type of green bean called “Fasolakia”. As soon as they are done growing, it needs to be untouched for a little while so that the beans can transform into dry white beans. That is the beginning of the recipe of Fasolada(Greek bean soup).
Fasolada in the making is as easy as it gets! All we need is the dry white beans that grew out of the plant, vegetables, and olive oil. With a little help from my grandmother, I made this dish the great traditional way! First off, I soaked the beans in water. After a few minutes of soaking beans, I poured them into a pan, and added just enough water so that the beans are under the surface, and started to boil it. After a good half hour, I cut some carrots, celery and onions and mixed it with beans in the pan. Later, I poured in some olive oil, and about half a teaspoon of sea salt. After this was done, all I had to do was let it simmer on the stove for about an hour, and then it was done.
I shared this dish with my brother, a friend that was over at the time and my parents. They enjoyed it very much. My friend that was none Greek said “this tastes very healthy!” And yes, this is a healthy meal, you can add some bread, and feta cheese as side dishes while were at it.
While making the fasolada, I felt proud, and well aware of what I was doing since it is part of my culture. I enjoy cooking these kind of dishes because I know that it can be a huge plus added on to my health!
Why is fasolada healthy? Because of the high vegetable protein content it has! There is no fatty foods added in to this recipe, everything is from pure plants. That is what makes a healthy meal! Greek bean soup is also considered as optimal nutrition.
Finally, it is not very hard to find the ingredients used to make this traditional Greek bean soup. Just grow some plants in your backyard and you are all set!