Prespa beans: what they are and why they matter
Prespa beans are grown on the farmland around the lakes, and two types carry protected names. This guide explains what those names are, how bean farming changed the lakes and where to find the beans at the table. It prints no prices, producers, shops or harvest dates, because we have no source for them.
Two protected types
According to WIPO Lex, Greek ministerial decisions of 18 January 1994 recognised two kinds of Prespes beans as protected names: the Plake-Megalosperma and the Gigantes-Elefantes. For the current status of each name, see the official registers of protected names.
Where they grow
The Municipality of Prespes tourism portal says that driving through the farming area near Lefkonas, you pass plantations of the famed Prespes beans. In Mikrolimni, it adds, the villagers' main occupation is agriculture, in particular bean cultivation, followed by fishing and, to a lesser extent, animal husbandry.
Beans and the lakes
The portal says that almost all the farmers of Prespes have moved towards the monoculture of beans since the 1980s. It links this to the growth of reeds, which spread because nobody cuts them any more, and to the decline of the lake meadows. The Society for the Protection of Prespa started experimental reedbed management and wet-meadow restoration at Lesser Prespa through grazing and mowing, and brought a small herd of buffalo in 1997. The Society reports that wet meadows tripled from 35 ha in 2000 to 100 ha in 2007. The lakes themselves are in the Prespa lakes, and the reeds and birds that depend on them in birdwatching in Prespa.
Beans on the table
There are many tavernas and cafés in the area. What is open changes with the season, so check before you come. We name no places and give no recipes here. For ideas on what to see around the table and the lakes, read things to do in Prespa.
Quick answers
Are Prespa beans protected?
Yes. Greek ministerial decisions of 18 January 1994 recognised the Plake-Megalosperma and Gigantes-Elefantes beans of Prespes as protected names, according to WIPO Lex. For their current status, see the official registers of protected names.
Where are the beans grown?
On the farmland around the lakes. The tourism portal mentions the area near Lefkonas and the village of Mikrolimni.
Do the beans affect the lakes?
The portal and the Society for the Protection of Prespa link bean monoculture since the 1980s with the growth of reeds and the decline of lake meadows.
Four homes in the village
Prespes Luxury Homes has four homes in one renovated stone building in Agios Germanos: Home 1 for up to 2 guests, Home 2 for up to 4, Home 3 for up to 4 and Home 4 for up to 5, and up to 15 guests in all. Every home has heating you control room by room, hot water all day, an equipped kitchen and a welcome basket with breakfast treats. Homes 2, 3 and 4 also have a fireplace; we provide firewood, and a person helps you with the fire. Meet the homes or ask about availability. More guides
