Sunday, February 26, 2023

Egyptian Foul Medames/Moudammas


fava beans, foul medemas,  brunch


Considered the national dish of Egypt, foul medemas/moudammas is a popular staple in parts of Africa, Israel, Syria, and Malaysia. This inexpensive local bean, the fava bean, is frequently cooked and seasoned with garlic, cumin, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. 

Fava Beans, Food, Plate, Presentation
Dry fava beans
Surprisingly to Americans, foul is eaten for breakfast in most of those countries. 

hummus and vegetables

I spend my winters in South Florida in an area that is a melting pot of cultures. In addition to large communities of people from Russia, Venezuela, Brazil, Morocco, and Turkey, there are many Israelis of Sephardic descent (meaning their families originally come from a Middle Eastern or African countries such as Morocco, Syria, Egypt, etc.). 

Food, Arab, Arabic, Tabbouleh, Salad

This morning I was invited to a brunch that featured foul Medames/moudammas as the main course at the home of an Israeli friend. They also served  baba ganooj, quinoa tabouleh, hummus, salads, beets, falafel etc. with the foul- a vegan's delight!

falafel,


My late mother-in-law, from Egypt, always made her homemade falafel from fava beans! In the US we are more accustomed to falafel that is made from chick peas.

Galil Beans | Foul Moudammas - Fava Beans | 14 oz - Shop Galil
Foul, or better known as fava beans, can be purchased as dried beans or in the cans. You may need to visit a Middle Eastern grocer to find them. The produce store near the bridge in Morrisville, Pa. actually sells them.

If you are lucky enough to have a Middle Eastern grocery store near by, you can purchase the cans and follow this traditional easy recipe. 

Using canned beans is of course a much faster method than using dried beans that require soaking. This could probably be made in the Instant Pot -but I have not tried that method yet!

My husband's family eats foul with pita bread. A gluten-free wrap would work! Actually, I like mine without bread. It's just a bowl of tasty beans.

foul medames, beets,




Ingredients
2 cans of cooked fava beans with the liquid from the can
1 tablespoon of ground cumin seed
3 cloves of pressed fresh garlic or garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon) 
Salt and cracked pepper
Toppings: sliced green onion, chopped tomato, lemon juice and chopped cilantro

Directions: 
Pour the fava beans and liquid into a sauce pan. Add the garlic and the cumin and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 2 hours, covering the pot the last 1/2 hour. When the beans are soft, add salt and cracked black pepper to taste. (Add a tablespoon of olive oil if desire- I do not) . Pour into a serving bowl and eat with green onion, chopped tomato, lemon juice and chopped cilantro if desired. (Some people eat it with chopped hard boiled eggs as well but being vegan, we do not.)

My Notes: 
1. It is difficult to know the exact spelling of a word that is translated from another language. It goes by many different spellings. 

2. My husband said that cooked foul was a popular street food in Egypt when he was young (1950's) and that it was very inexpensive and eaten by the poor people. Actually, foul is full of iron, protein and fiber making it a very healthy food!





10 comments:

  1. What liquid are the beans in?
    from Tandy I Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com

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  2. What a wonderful brunch! It's lovely that you've made so many friends at your home away from home. I particularly like the picture of the "mountain" of green, red, and white. 💚💖🤍

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  3. I love creamy beans, but my tummy can't handle them at all..unfortunately :-/

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  4. Sounds like an interesting community that you've found in Florida! This Egyptian dish sounds very alluring.

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  5. This looks like my favorite kind of food -- such a great mix of flavors and textures, and lots of variety that keeps people trying a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Makes for lingering at the table, and great conversations, too!

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  6. Just like beans in the old rural south of the US where beans and cornbread feed the poor, this sound wonderful to me! Thanks for sharing - I feel like I took a little excursion.

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  7. How interesting! I know zero about the cuisine in these cultures, when you said they eat foul for breakfast, I thought you meant poultry 😂 Thanks for the insight into these foods~
    Jenna

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  8. Oh wow... this looks absolutely fantastic! And I love how easy it is to make, too!

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  9. That is one thing I miss about living in Florida is all of the different cultures and the amazing food. I will be trying this as it sounds like something I would really love.

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  10. I will be making this, thank you for the recipe!

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