The search for nuclear states of K-mesons and \eta -mesons is presented. Methods of theoretical descriptions and the related difficulties: off shell extrapolation of meson--nucleon scattering amplitudes, behavior of hadronic resonances in nuclei and extrapolation to high density nuclear regions are discussed. Variational calculations for the binding energies in light nuclei are described.

PACS numbers: 13.75.Jz, 21.45.+v, 25.10.+s, 25.80.--e