Ful medames is Egypt’s everyday breakfast: slow-cooked fava beans mashed with garlic, lemon, cumin and olive oil, eaten with bread and fresh vegetables. It is cheap, filling and endlessly adaptable.

Ful medames is Egypt’s national breakfast, and by most accounts one of the oldest dishes still eaten regularly anywhere in the world, going back thousands of years along the Nile. It is built from slow-simmered fava beans, mashed just enough to hold together, dressed with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and cumin, then topped with whatever the kitchen has on hand, usually a hard-boiled egg, chopped tomato, and onion.

It has a lot in common with Portuguese arroz de feijão malandrinho (recipe on the site): a humble bean dish dressed up with whatever is good that day. Different country, same instinct.

Ful Medames Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) fava beans, drained, liquid reserved (or 1 1/2 cups dried fava beans, soaked and cooked)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and black pepper, to taste
For serving:
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced or quartered
1 tomato, diced
1/2 small onion, finely diced
Fresh parsley, chopped
Warm pita bread
Extra olive oil, and a pinch of chili flakes or Aleppo pepper

Cook along

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine the fava beans with about 1/2 cup of their reserved liquid (or water), the garlic, and the cumin. Warm over medium heat, mashing some of the beans against the side of the pot with a fork or spoon. You want a chunky texture, not perfectly smooth.
Simmer for about 10 minutes, adding a splash more liquid if it looks dry. It should be thick, like a hearty dip, not soupy.
Stir in the olive oil and most of the lemon juice. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. Fava beans need more seasoning than you would think.
Spoon into a shallow serving bowl or divide among individual plates.
Top with the diced tomato, onion, hard-boiled egg, and parsley.
Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil, the rest of the lemon juice, and a pinch of chili flakes if you like heat.
Serve warm with plenty of pita for scooping.