Handsome Johnny from the Dunajec Valley: A Versatile Polish Bean
The Dunajec Valley is the ideal terrain for growing one of the best types of beans in Poland: Piękny Jaś. They say you can make anything from them. Unfortunately, despite the rich local knowledge of how to grow it, there is little knowledge (even amongst locals) about how to properly prepare it.
Perfect conditions
The terroir (soil and growing conditions) of the Dunajec Valley is unique and, as a result, Piękny Jaś (or Handsome Johnny) is unique as well. The bean plantations are located at a low altitude and they stretch out along the river valley which shelters the fields from strong winds. In addition, frequent morning mists protect the crop from sharp temperature fluctuations. Furthermore, the plantations of Jaś are situated on the riverside fluvisol – mineral-rich river soil – thanks to which the beans of the Małopolska region have a higher magnesium content than other sorts of beans. It is not surprising that the flat, kidney-shaped beans were distinguished with the status of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) by the European Union in 2011. The PDO status can only be used by farmers growing Jaś beans in 11 designated localities of Poland within the Nowy Sącz, Tarnów, Brzesko or Dąbrowa counties.
The secret to cooking Jaś
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Bean soup with rosemary, photo: Arkadiusz Cichocki / AG
Piękny Jaś z Doliny Dunajca has a delicate, somewhat sweet taste and a thin skin. This bean has been grown and eaten in this area for ages. Alongside grain and later potatoes, beans constituted a staple of the local population’s diet. With time, bean cuisine developed and some local housewives learned how to make nearly anything out of legumes. Unfortunately, despite the rich local traditions of growing Jaś, knowledge about the beans – even amongst the inhabitants of the Małopolska region – is rather meagre and full of prejudice: whether it’s that the beans don’t smell very good while cooking or that they’re hard to digest, bitter and mealy. They can be a meat substitute for the poorest consumers.
The secret lies in cooking Jaś beans properly. According to local specialists from the Dunajec Valley, such as Ms. Janina Molek, Jaś beans, even when dried out, must be cooked without pre-soaking! A large quantity of cold water should be poured onto the beans, a bit of salt added; when the water boils, it should be allowed to simmer for 20 minutes, then more cold water should be added and it should be boiled another 20 minutes. This procedure should be carried out a few times. The whole process ought to take about two hours and it produces a sweet, fragrant bean. One should also avoid buying pre-soaked beans because, according to the Jaś specialists, such beans not only smell bad after cooking, but they can also cause gastric distress.
Pastes, Pâtés, Roulades & ‘Fasolówka’
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Lard made out of beans on toast, photo: Forum Gwiazd / Forum
You can make many things out of Jaś beans: not only the obvious baked beans – one of the evergreens of Polish bar cuisine – but also all kinds of pastes for spreading on bread (e.g., one made from beans, cottage cheese and butter), pâtés, vegetarian cutlets, roulades, pierogi, desserts and mousses – e.g., with vanilla and coconut – and also vodka, bean flour and sausages. In the Dunajec Valley, pork gut would be filled with bean stuffing, much as the popular kiszka (intestine) was filled with potato stuffing in the east. Bean sausage can be found at local culinary festivals and it can sometimes be purchased at fairs featuring local cuisine. Unfortunately, it is not widely available.
Bean vodka & the Christmas Eve soup of Klęczany
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In 2006, master chef Krzysztof Górski prepared Poland's largest baked bean soup for the annual Bean Festival in Zakliczyń. To produce over three tonnes of soup, he gathered 550 kg of assorted meats, 550 kg of beans, 50 kg of tomato paste and 25 kg of spices, 2006, photo: Paweł Topolski / PAP
‘Fasolówka’ – a vodka (50-55%) produced from the seeds of Piękny Jaś – has been registered by the Ministry of Agriculture on its list of traditional Polish foods, as has Klęczany Christmas Eve soup. This clear soup is made with dried, smoked plums, Piękny Jaś seeds, and bits of carrot and mushroom, and it has a bittersweet flavour. Since the combination of beans and plums is rather popular in the Małopolska region, this dish has various names: plums and Jaś, beans and plums, or plum soup. This tradition is still very much alive and is passed on from generation to generation. In addition, beans and smoked plums are a folk cuisine ‘comfort food’, a one-pot dish from the hill country. In this case, Piękny Jaś beans are stewed with bacon and smoked plums, sometimes with the addition of forest mushrooms.
A summer treat
In the summertime, it’s worth keeping an eye out for young Jaś beans. They are a somewhat forgotten holiday treat. The season of young, green Jaś beans is quite short, but it allows for the discovery of new sides to this popular addition to beet soup: it has a delicate flavour and a firm, non-mealy texture. In the past, young Jaś beans reigned supreme in the modest regional cuisine as the stuff of homemade summer meals, served with simple onions well-browned in oil. You can add to the repertoire of quick dishes made with green Jaś beans a warm salad with forest mushrooms, garlic and fresh herbs, or, when cooked, you can mix the beans with a homemade vinaigrette and serve them sour.
Originally written in Polish, Aug 2020, translated by Yale Reisner, Nov 2020