Poljak beans is one of those crops which successfully grow not only due to care of hardworking farmer’s hands but also thanks to its resistance to adverse climate soil conditions. The beans are of irregular shape about 1 cm in size. The colour resembles the colourful sea sand and it can be found in a variety of shades. Poljak beans used to be a regular crop in the region of Trebinje which fed generations of the local population. It is a typical winter crop, sometimes called the “meat of the poor”.

Traditional, folk medicine considers it a particularly healthy type of beans, much more beneficial than other types of known legumes. It affects the level of cholesterol and blood sugar and nowadays, it is being rediscovered as a gourmet delicacy. In Trebinje, it is served with a promise of health. After nearly half a century of neglect, thanks to the persistent efforts of the Slow Food Convivium Trebinje, that have been invested in its rediscovery since 2005, Poljak beans made its return to the fields and dining tables in the region of Trebinje as one of the most important examples of the regional biodiversity.