Goes Well With Chianti

Travelling through South Lebanon sometime in the mid-70s, we stopped at a corner cafe for breakfast. Our host, a very chirpy and friendly old lady, suggested we try ful medames (pronounced full), or foul medamas, or foul mudammes or 100 other variations - or just ful as we call it now.

It’s a traditional, nutritious Middle Eastern stew made with slow-cooked, smashed fava beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and sometimes chilli. It is a popular breakfast staple, especially in Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Sudan (where it’s considered by many as the national dish), commonly served with fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, parsley, and onions, alongside pita bread.

It instantly became my favourite dish, and remains so half a century on. Not a week goes by that I don’t make it at least once, often twice. Sadly, it’s hard to come by in Middle Eastern restaurants or takeaways in Australia.

This dish has incredibly deep roots. Archaeological evidence shows fava beans were eaten in the region as far back as the Neolithic period (a large cache of dried beans was found near Nazareth). Remnants of what appears to be ful medames have been uncovered in 12th Dynasty Pharaonic tombs in Egypt (roughly 1991–1786 BC), suggesting it was important enough to take into the afterlife. The name "medames" comes from the Coptic Egyptian word meaning "buried", referring to the traditional cooking method where the beans were simmered very slowly, often buried in hot ashes or embers overnight (in medieval Cairo, public bath fires provided the heat to save fuel). It was already documented in the Jerusalem Talmud by the 4th century AD and became a daily food for the masses because it's cheap, filling, and nutritious. Egypt is widely credited as its birthplace (it's still the national dish there, especially in Cairo), but it spread across the Arab world, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa centuries ago and is now a beloved everyday food from Sudan to Lebanon to Somalia.

It’s dead simple to make, is very flexible, dirt cheap and extremely nutritious.

Per 1 cup (170g) cooked fava beans (before toppings):

• 187 calories

• 13g plant protein

• 9g fibre (mostly soluble)

• Excellent source of folate (40% DV), manganese, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins

Key benefits include:

• High protein + fibre → keeps you full for hours, helps with weight management and stable blood sugar.

• Soluble fibre → lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol and supports gut health.

• Folate → crucial for pregnant women (prevents neural tube defects) and energy metabolism.

• Iron + vitamin C from lemon topping → combats anemia.

• Potassium & magnesium → helps regulate blood pressure.

• Manganese & copper → supports bone health.

The best recipe is found on Nadia Gilbert’s YouTube Channel. You’re an absolute Ful if you don’t try it.