It all started with so-called Bean Day, which was first organized by the village Ethnological Society Hrovača in 2002. They came to the agreement that every house in the village has to prepare a dish that contains beans. Andreja Škrabec got married and moved to this part of Slovenia 24 years ago. She admits she learned how to cook only after she got married. In 2002, she prepared a dessert that was made out of beans. She picked up some cookbooks, used her imagination, and after that, the recipe started improving itself and that’s how she created the recipe for beans cake. Now, this is only one of her 69 recipes.

You don’t need flour for the beans cake and that why its perfect for gluten-free diets. “For this cake, I use white beans, which I cook and grind in thick puree. The puree is then mixed into the sponge cake.” For the base, you’ll need eggs, brown sugar, white beans, walnuts and baking powder. When the sponge is done, cut it in half, spread some plum or any sort of jam all over it and then pour some chocolate glaze on top of the cake. You can find a more detailed recipe in the cookbook.

Many different options for a good meal
Andreja Škrabec studied the beans phenomenon in Ribnica. There are suppose to be special beans from Ribnica called “hrovat” from 150 years ago. The Agricultural Institute of Slovenia keeps nine genetic sources of this this special bean.