Greek Fasolada: The Soup That Sustains You Through Thick and Thin
Challenging." This term, particularly when paired with "times," serves as a concise reference to numerous tough scenarios ranging from individual struggles like family disputes, bereavement, and joblessness to broader issues such as social instability, financial crises, and governmental splits. In the preface of her latest cookbook, Shaily Lipa notes, "The Greeks frequently attribute this soup’s popularity to aiding individuals endure through challenging epochs in their past.
During a Zoom interview from New York, where she is publicizing “Yassou,” Lipa discusses her reference to the periods when Greece experienced significant economic hardship. These difficult times occurred following World War II and again during the financial crisis starting in 2007, which had long-lasting negative effects on the country’s economy.
Get the recipe: White Bean Soup (Greek Fasolada)
The dish she’s talking about is fasolada, a bean and vegetable soup known for its intricate taste despite easy cooking. "This isn’t a costly recipe," she explains. "Dry beans are very budget-friendly, followed by some veggies and water."
We're not experiencing a recession. at least not yet ), yet the worry about encountering someone like that — coupled with the stress experienced by government employees and their loved ones (my family included) who fear job loss — renders this stew especially fitting. These truly are challenging times.
Apart from its financial attractiveness, this soup offers numerous benefits: The inclusion of beans makes it filling, gratifying, and healthy. ("Yassou," which means "to your health" in Greek, serves as both a greeting and a toast, reflecting the importance Greeks place on bonding and celebrating through food). Additionally, the simplicity of making it ensures it doesn’t demand too much cognitive effort or valuable time when you might have more urgent matters to attend to besides cooking dinner.
Greek cuisine truly shines during these times. The country’s iconic recipes highlighted in "Yassou" typically require just a few key ingredients and minimal preparation time. Throughout the cookbook, vegetables play a central role, featuring prominently in chapters dedicated to stuffed veggies as well as those devoted to vegetable fritters and hearty pies. Sections covering appetizers and soups lean heavily towards plant-based options, whereas meats and seafood mainly appear under main courses. This mirrors the conventional—though perhaps outdated—dietary habits described by Lipa: “Up until the 1950s, Greeks would eat meat only once per week due to its high cost; their typical meals consisted primarily of vegetables, grains, and pulses."
These legumes are a component of the renowned Mediterranean diet, which also plays a role in the extended lifespan associated with this dietary pattern. “Blue Zones” research Gigantes are my favorite type of Greek beans—topping the list among all beans I love—but the fasolada includes smaller white beans like cannellini or navy.
This dish is immensely popular, particularly when the weather turns cooler, that it is occasionally referred to as Greece’s national cuisine, surpassing even the status of traditional favorites. famed salad , tzatziki or souvlaki “Nowadays, at monasteries accessible to the public,” Lipa notes, “guests might receive a serving of fasolada, typically accompanied by a piece of bread and wine produced by the resident monks or nuns.”
Like countless other locations, Greece has experienced significant culinary impacts from various groups that governed parts of the country for extended periods—particularly the Venetians and the Ottomans. This cultural blending is evident within Lipa’s family as well; her paternal grandparents have Greek roots, whereas her maternal ones trace back to Turkey.
Yassou" marks Lipa's twelfth publication, being her debut work in English and targeted towards an American audience. The preceding eleven books were written in Hebrew and released in Israel, where she resides. She mentions that her Greek grandmother played the most significant role in shaping her gastronomic knowledge, noting this education began "as far back as I can recall.
Although the book honors Greek classics in their pure form, Lipa introduces minor yet significant changes throughout. For instance, when preparing fasolada, she diverges from the customary method of simmering the beans separately before incorporating the veggies. Rather, drawing upon the Italian practice of soffritto (possibly due to Venetian influence), she initially sautés the aromatic ingredients in olive oil. This process yields a robust, intense flavor foundation that infuses into the beans during cooking.
I created it this way—it’s delicious—but I also enjoyed using canned beans, which was my personal deviation from tradition. During tough times, we all value ashortcut. Cheers!
Get the recipe: White Bean Soup (Greek Fasolada)
