Greek White Beans from Feneos (Fasolia Vanilies Feneou) PDO — EU Protected Designation of Origin
These are not ordinary white beans. The Fasolia Vanilies Feneou — the Vanilla Beans of Feneos — hold a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) from the European Union, a designation reserved for foods of such distinct character and provenance that they can only authentically come from one place. That place is the ancient plateau of Feneos, in the northern Peloponnese, where a natural lake once spread across the valley floor before it drained away in the late 19th century, leaving behind some of the most fertile, moisture-retaining, bean-blessed soil in all of Greece.
Cultivation here began systematically at the end of the 1800s — the EU documentation cites a court record from 1910 as early evidence of just how prized these beans already were — and has continued generation after generation, with farmers selecting and preserving their own seed stock each year to protect the integrity of the variety. The beans are grown, harvested, cleaned, and sorted entirely by hand, with ecological pest control methods and zero pesticides.
What makes these beans so special? Everything. They are small and oval — not kidney-shaped like most white beans — with a thin, almost translucent skin that cooks away beautifully, leaving the bean whole and intact with a silky-soft interior that doesn't turn to mush. Their flavor is genuinely sweet, with a delicate creaminess that earned them the local name vanilia — growers coined it themselves to describe the bean's white color and its faintly sweet, vanilla-like taste. They cook significantly faster than standard white beans and hold their shape in the pot, making them ideal for both long-braise soups and quick salads.
Nutritionally, the EU-registered data is striking: compared to standard commercial white beans, the Vanilla Beans of Feneos contain up to 54% more dietary fiber (27–29g per 100g versus 13g for trade beans), up to 56% more calcium (nearly 3,000 mg/kg versus 1,312 mg/kg). They are a plant protein powerhouse with extraordinary nutritional density, and they sit at the very center of the Mediterranean longevity diet. Fasolada — white bean soup — is considered Greece's national dish, and with beans of this caliber, you'll understand why.