Ful Medames: Making use of Fava Beans

Ancient beer and fava beans are two symbols of the proud Egyptian culture. Fava beans have been found in 3000 year old tombs of Pharoahs and provide the main ingredient ful medames, a an ancient dish that is still commonly found in modern Egyptian households.


For ful medames, Egyptians use a smaller variety of fava beans than those shown in the bowl on the left. However, the larger kind are mostly found in stores in the United States and can also be used to make ful medames.


Recipe
The ingredients in ful medames are

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• garlic
• onion
• spices 
• fava beans.

1. Soak the fava beans in water for 8 to 12 hours. Start in the morning to have you ful medames for breakfast the next day.
2. After they have soaked, drain the beans. Place the favas, red lentils, onion, garlic and cumin in a large saucepan and add enough fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 hours, skimming the scum off the top occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and mash lightly with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Stir in the lemon juice and salt to taste.
4. Place the beans in a serving bowl and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil or melted butter. Serve with fried or hard-boiled eggs and pita bread.

My ful medames are shown on the left. I mashed the beans, although sometimes the beans are not mashed. The taste was pretty good! I can imagine eating them every day if the spices were changed often, but I think I would grow tired of the same taste day after day. I made these from dried beans and it took quite a bit of time.


In Cairo during the middle ages, wood for fires was scarce. The Princess Baths, a public bath always had fires. During the daytime, bath-attendants stoked fires to heat huge pots of bath water. Embers from the fires continued to burn after the baths closed, so cauldrons of fava beans were simmered all night to provide ful medames for breakfast in the morning for Cairo residents.