Slow-cooked brown fava beans mashed with garlic, olive oil, lemon, and tahini — a beloved traditional Egyptian dish served as an appetizer or breakfast.

خطوات التحضير

Drain the soaked beans and rinse well, then place them in a large pot with water and baking soda, if using.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer very gently for 1 to 1.5 hours until the beans are very tender and easily mashed with a spoon (add more hot water during cooking if needed).

Drain most of the cooking water, reserving a cup of it on the side.

Partially mash the beans with a wooden spoon or hand masher, leaving some beans whole for a textured, not fully smooth, consistency.

Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, cumin, salt, and pepper, and mix well, adding some of the reserved cooking water if the mixture is too thick.

Transfer the foul to a serving plate, drizzle with extra olive oil, and serve with chopped tomato, onion, chili pepper, parsley, and fresh baladi bread.

نصيحة

Soaking the beans overnight is an essential step that significantly reduces cooking time and helps them cook evenly. Add salt at the end of cooking rather than the beginning, as early salting can prevent the beans from softening properly.

Foul medames is one of the oldest dishes in Egyptian cuisine, believed to date back to ancient Pharaonic times, making it one of the most enduring dishes still cooked and eaten in nearly the same way today. The name "medames" comes from the traditional cooking method of burying the pot of beans in hot ashes to slow-cook overnight.

Brown fava beans (dried foul) are cooked very slowly for many hours until extremely tender, then partially mashed and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and cumin, sometimes with tahini added for an even richer, creamier texture.

Foul medames is a staple of the Egyptian breakfast table, and is also served as an appetizer within a larger spread alongside baladi bread, fresh tomato, onion, and chili peppers. It's a protein-rich, budget-friendly dish that's widely popular across Egypt and the Arab world.