Ful Medames Recipe (Egyptian Fava Beans)

Foul Mudammas or Ful Medames (Egyptian Fava Beans) is a creamy, rich, and hearty recipe that’s brightened with a generous drizzle of peppery olive oil, fresh vegetables, and herbs. It’s a traditional breakfast dish in Egypt and the Levant area of the Middle East, and it’s typically served as part of a spread along with fresh vegetables and flatbread.

A bowl of oatmeal. Bacon and eggs. Pancakes. What’s your favorite breakfast food?

The answer to that question most likely depends where you live. For me, French toast for breakfast always meant a special occasion growing up!

This beautiful dish of Egyptian fava beans is a popular breakfast in the Middle East. And what a wonderful way to start the day!

Creamy fava beans are seasoned with garlic, lemon, and cumin. Peppery olive oil adds richness, while fresh tomato, onion, and parsley brighten the flavor. It’s perfect scooped up with flatbread.

My Experience with Foul Mudammas in the Middle East

This is a classic Egyptian dish that’s commonly eaten for breakfast in the Middle East. When I was doing research for my cookbook and Mike and I were living in Damascus with his family, on Friday mornings (which are relaxed like our Sunday mornings here in the U.S.) Mike’s mom would send him out with a big empty bowl from home to the falafel/hummus/foul vendor down the street.

Mike would return to us with a full bowl of foul. It was steaming hot and ready to be devoured by the whole family.

His mom would have an entire spread prepared. Juicy ripe tomatoes, refreshing slices of cucumber, fresh mint, and tangy green onions. Labneh (yogurt cheese) topped with a healthy dose of olive oil, plump dates, homemade pickles, olives, fresh soft and aromatic flatbread from the baker across the street, tea, and perhaps halawa.

It was ordinary to them, but to me, it always felt special. That was where I learned how to make Ful Medames.

The Best Ful Medames Recipe

Ingredients

• Canned fava beans
• Canned chickpeas
• Water
• Garlic
• Salt
• Lemon
• Cumin
• Black pepper
• Tomato
• Onion
• Parsley
• Olive oil

How to Make Ful Medamas

1. Bring the fava beans (with liquid), chickpeas, and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Turn off heat and mash some of the beans (about 1/2 cup) against the side of the pot.
2. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and black pepper.
3. Transfer the beans to 1 large or 4 small serving dishes; drizzle on the olive oil and arrange the tomato, onion, and parsley decoratively on top.
4. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

Variations on Foul Mudammas

• You can skip the chickpeas and use double the amount of fava beans.
• Add some spicy heat with 1 or 2 minced jalapenos added at the same time as the garlic. Garnish with sliced jalapeno. Or add cayenne pepper instead!
• Make it smoky with up to 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika.

Tips for Making Ful Mudammas

• If you prefer, you can use dried fava beans (instead of canned) to make Ful Medames. Cook the beans before making this recipe, and then proceed with the recipe the same way. (But note that using canned beans is a big time-saver, and this recipe doesn’t suffer for it!)
• Don’t forget to mash a few of the beans because that’s what makes this dish so creamy. I like to mash about 1/2 a cup or so, and then give it a good stir.
• Serve this piping hot.

Foul Mudammas FAQs

What is Ful Medames?

Ful Medames, also transliterated Foul Mudammas or Foule Mudammes, is a dish of stewed fava beans topped with a few vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil.

It’s a common meal in Egypt (most notably breakfast), and it’s also eaten in other areas of the Middle East.

You can read more about Ful Medames on Wikipedia.

Are Butter Beans and Fava Beans the Same?

No, these are different types of beans. Another name for butter beans is lima beans, and another name for fava beans is broad beans.

Both types of beans have a similar shape and color when cooked. However, they do have some notable differences:

• The seed location is the middle of lima beans, and at one end of fava beans.
• Lima beans have a soft, starchy texture, and fava beans are much firmer.

Is Ful Mudames Healthy?

This is a very subjective question, and will likely vary by person. It’s a vegan meal with a decent source of plant-based protein, fiber, and nutrients.

Here is the Nutrition Information for 1 Serving of Ful Medames:

• 318kcals
• 34g carbohydrates
• 12g protein
• 17g fat
• 10g fiber

A Middle Eastern-Themed Food Blogger Collaboration

I was recently thrilled when the very talented Ksenia of Immigrant’s Table reached out to me with an idea to collaborate on a post.

Ksenia is a poignant writer, gifted photographer, and healthy recipe developer. Her recipes are innovative, inspirational, and insightful. To name just a few of my favorites, check out her beautiful Russian Korean-Style Kohlrabi Salad with Apples, Radishes, and Spicy Salad Topper, Roasted Cauliflower Steaks on Spicy Sweet Potato Puree, and Middle Eastern Spiced Butternut Squash Pickles.

The image of Israeli Green Shakshuka and the image of the Shakshuka breakfast spread are courtesy of Ksenia Prints from Immigrant’s Table.

As Ksenia and I were talking over email, our mutual love of Middle Eastern food stood out as a common thread between us. We decided to go with that as our theme, choosing to each share a Middle Eastern-inspired breakfast spread. She made an absolutely stunning Israeli Green Shakshuka, which is vibrant and perfect for spring.

Both of our recipes are vegetarian, but they’re completely different in flavor, showcasing the true range of Middle Eastern cuisine. Our dishes are both healthy and nourishing. They are total comfort food that work well beyond breakfast, for any meal of the day.

More Delicious Middle Eastern Recipes to Try

• Shish Tawook (Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken Skewers)
• Toum (Midlde Eastern Garlic Sauce)
• Arabic Breakfast
• Red Lentil Soup

Let’s Connect

I love hearing from you!
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment.
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xoxo, Faith

Ful Medames

By: Faith Gorsky

Foul Mudammas or Ful Medames (Egyptian Fava Beans) is a creamy, rich, and hearty recipe that’s brightened with a generous drizzle of peppery olive oil, fresh vegetables, and herbs. It’s a traditional breakfast dish in Egypt and the Levant area of the Middle East, and it’s typically served as part of a spread along with fresh vegetables and flatbread.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Course Breakfast, Vegetarian Main Course

Cuisine Egyptian, Middle Eastern

Servings 4 servings

Calories 318 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cloves garlic crushed
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 15 ounce can fava beans sometimes called broad beans or foul mudammas, with liquid
• ▢ 15 ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 small tomato diced
• ▢ 1/2 small onion minced
• ▢ 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 lemon wedged

Instructions

 

• Crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle with the salt.
• Bring the fava beans (with liquid), chickpeas, and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Turn off heat and use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans (about 1/2 cup) against the side of the pot.
• Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and black pepper.
• Transfer the beans to 1 large or 4 small serving dishes; drizzle on the olive oil and arrange the tomato, onion, and parsley on top in a decorative way.
• Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

Faith’s Tips

• Recipe Inspiration: This recipe is from my cookbook An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle Publishing; 2012).

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Ful Medames

Amount Per Serving

Calories 318 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 11g

Sodium 1076mg47%

Potassium 583mg17%

Carbohydrates 34g11%

Fiber 10g42%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 633IU13%

Vitamin C 29mg35%

Calcium 93mg9%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on June 8, 2015. I updated it with more information on August 27, 2021.