The Myth! The Legend! The Fasolada!!
Updated: Apr 27, 2021
Fasolada, a Greek bean soup, was a staple growing up in a Greek family. A must in our household and was on the menu once a week.
Known as Greece's National Dish, Fasolada is a hearty soup made with white beans, tomato, olive oil and vegetables.
There are many stories about the origins of fasolada.
My favourite "origins" story is that this humble dish is entrenched in Ancient Greek Mythology!
According to legend, Theseus (the King of Athens) sailed from Athens to Crete to kill the Minotaur. On the way, he stopped at Delos and made a sacrifice to the God Apollo. Theseus promised that if he managed to win the battle and kill the Minotaur, he would offer the God olive branches decorated with fresh fruit, to thank him.
Theseus stopped in Delos again, when he had defeated the Minotaur in the labyrinth, to fulfil his promise. However, it had been seven days since their departure and no food was left on the ship. So as to not disappoint Apollo and to honour his promise, Theseus’ shipmates gathered anything they could find, and cooked it in a stew...making the original fasolada!
It is more likely that the origins of fasolada was born out of necessity during the German occupation, in 1941, when meat was rare and money was scarce. The Greeks would have needed to utilise cheap ingredients to create a dish which would be hearty and substantial.
Legumes have always been a fundamental part of the Greek diet. They are a great source of plant based protein. fibre, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium while containing little sodium and cholesterol.
TOP TIPS:
Only use dried beans. Never use tinned beans!
Soak the beans overnight
Boil drained & soaked beans for 5 minutes and drain again before starting the recipe as this reduces flatulence 😉
Do not add salt until the end of cooking as salt hardens the skins
The older the legumes are, the longer they take to cook
Let's Eat! - A Collection of Family Recipes is creating a cookbook which will be released in 2021.
In the meantime we will be posting dishes to raise awareness, practice recipes and of course to tempt your appetite 😉
If you would like this recipe, head over to our online store: https://www.letseatms.org.au/product-page/fasolada-greek-bean-soup
Thank you so much.
Let's Eat! Fundraising Team
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