Traditions & customs - The Global Bean Project

Pea balls – let’s give peas a tasty second chance!

2023-03-072023-02-22 by Zutini

Have you ever made pea balls? Good old Latvian dishes are good ideas for eating peas in a tastier way. It is very important for Latvians to honor the traditions. As Latvians live according to the Solar calendar, every holiday in the year has an important ritual meaning. Just like the food that is brought

2023-02-19 by Grégoire Duffal

As part of the 8th ‘Behind the Seeds’ interviews at Terra Madre, Slow Food’s convention in Turin last September, we interviewed Lucas Mourão from Belo Horizonte in Brazil. Lucas is the coordinator of Slow Food local community in his city, and works for Jaca Verde PANC, where he gives courses, guided tours, landscaping and consultancy on non-conventional food plants. Lucas is always looking for people that work with biodiversity!

2023-02-12 by Grégoire Duffal

As part of the 7th ‘Behind the Seeds’ interview at Terra Madre, Slow Food’s convention in Turin last September, we interviewed Simone Nabil, who is originally from Egypt but lives in France. In Egypt, Simone explains that they eat a lot of beans, and that they are an important part of the country’s traditional food.

2023-03-072023-02-04 by Global Bean

Setsubun literally means the “separation of the seasons” and is a Japanese festival that bids farewell to winter and celebrates the beginning of spring. It traditionally takes place on 3 February and marks the turn of the seasons according to the old lunar calendar in Japan.

2023-01-25 by Grégoire Duffal

In this 6th “Behind the seeds” interview in “Terra Madre”, the international Slow Food convention in Torino, we interviewed Ramon Uy Junior, originally from the Negros Islands in the Philippines. Ramon works with five SlowFood communities in the central Philippines, as well as with about 1.000 organic farmers in his province.

2023-03-232023-01-13 by Zutini

Big Grey peas with bacon are a “must have” on Latvians Christmas table. When you ask a Latvian “What is the national dish of your country?”, Big grey peas with bacon is usually the first thing that comes up. Peas with bacon are both the food with which we identify ourselves as a nation, and

2023-01-12 by Grégoire Duffal

In this 5th “Behind the seeds” interview in “Terra Madre”, the international Slow Food convention in Torino, we interviewed Paul Maschka, from San Diego California. He is an organic farmer who farms part-time and teaches organic farming the rest of the time to help people start growing and sometimes even change their careers!

2022-12-31 by Grégoire Duffal

Do you know why Italians eat lentils on New Year’s Eve? Have you heard of the Colline Ennesi Black Lentil? Discover lentils from a whole new angle in this article describing the traditions of lentil dishes and how to cook them with a special recipe of Orange lentil salad with fennel from Cecilia Antoni (Bean Beat)!

2022-12-29 by Grégoire Duffal

In this fourth “Behind the seeds” interview in the international Slow Food convention in Torino “Terra Madre”, Amanuel Samuel, from Ethiopia, introduces us to Ethiopian regional beans, such as big white beans, his favourite legume, a climbing bean that grows on a structure installed by the farmer, but also his favourite dish: Kurkufa (fagioli and corn powder).

2023-01-262022-12-27 by Seed Savers Network

Kenya is considered a farming nation. Among farming communities in the country, legumes are an important source of nourishment and are, therefore, central to many diets in the country. They are indeed good sources of protein, fibre, they protect against diseases, they fertilise the soil for other crops and they contribute to the economy of the country. Want to know how? Discover the role of vegetables in Kenya in this article!

2023-01-262022-12-27 by Seed Savers Network

In Kenya many types of legumes are grown in various parts of the country. The common bean is the legume most commonly incorporated in different cropping systems (10 % of the proteins consumed in the country!). Discover in this article all about the important legumes that grow in Kenya.

2022-11-16 by Grégoire Duffal

In this third “Behind the seeds” interview, Clayton Brascoupe, from the north of Santa Fe in New Mexico, shares his experience with the legumes he grows on his farm, in the international Slow Food convention in Torino “Terra Madre”.

Pea balls – let’s give peas a tasty second chance!

Behind the seeds – Promoting biodiversity through education, with Lucas Mourão (Brazil)

Behind the seeds – Fava Bean customs in Egypt, with Simone Nabil (Egypt)

Celebrate Setsubun! – Welcome the spring with roasted soybeans

Behind the seeds – Kadios Pigeon Pea and local food system, with Ramon Uy Junior (Philippines)

Big grey peas in Latvian national Christmas dish

Behind the Seeds – The Lima and the Chinese bean, with Paul Maschka (U.S.)

Lentil Mania & a happy new year!

Behind the Seeds – Regional beans and bean dishes, with Amanuel Samuel (Ethiopia)

The central role of legumes in Kenyan diet

Discover the tremendous legume diversity in Kenya

Behind the Seeds – Beans and peas, and the “Chico” specialty, with Clayton Brascoupe (U.S.)