Ful Medames (Warm Fava Beans with Garlic and Lemon)
Warm fava beans and chickpeas, roughly mashed with garlic, lemon juice and cumin, then drizzled with plenty of olive oil. A filling Lebanese breakfast eaten with pita, tomatoes and fresh mint.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Warm the beans
Pour the fava beans with their liquid and the chickpeas into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until it starts to bubble, then lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 1 can (400g) fava beans with liquid
- 1 can (400g) chickpeas
✅ Done when: beans are hot through and softened, liquid gently bubbling
Crush the garlic
Using a mortar, or the flat side of a knife on a cutting board, crush the garlic with the salt into a smooth paste. Stir in the lemon juice and cumin.
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lemon, juiced lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
✅ Done when: a smooth, well-combined paste with no garlic lumps
Mash
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Serve
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Warm the beans
Pour the fava beans with their liquid and the chickpeas into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until it starts to bubble, then lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 1 can (400g) fava beans with liquid
- 1 can (400g) chickpeas
✅ Done when: beans are hot through and softened, liquid gently bubbling
Crush the garlic
Using a mortar, or the flat side of a knife on a cutting board, crush the garlic with the salt into a smooth paste. Stir in the lemon juice and cumin.
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lemon, juiced lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
✅ Done when: a smooth, well-combined paste with no garlic lumps
Mash
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Fava beans have been cooked slowly in pots across the eastern Mediterranean for thousands of years. Ful came to Lebanon from Egypt and became one of the country's favorite breakfasts.
In Lebanon, ful is often mixed with chickpeas and served in small restaurants that open early and close by lunchtime.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is cheap, high in protein and keeps you full all morning.
💡 Fun Fact
The word 'medames' is thought to come from an old word for burying, because the beans were once cooked overnight in pots buried in hot ashes.
Egypt and the Levant
33.89°N, 35.50°E
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