Slow-cooked fava beans mashed with cumin, lemon, and olive oil — the breakfast that has powered Egypt for millennia.

Where does Ful Medames come from?

Ful Medames is a Egyptian dish from Alexandria, Egypt.

Can Ful Medames be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Ful Medames recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Ful Medames take to make?

About 35 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Ful Medames — a Alexandria, Egypt recipe

Name: Ful Medames
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked fava beans (canned ful is traditional now); 1.5 tsp ground cumin; 2 lemons; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 + 1/2 + a handful tomato + onion + parsley, finely chopped; 4 baladi or pita bread, to serve

Africa → 🇪🇬 Egypt → Alexandria

Ful Medames

Egyptian · easy · serves 4

prep 10 min · cook 25 min

~483 cal · 29g protein · 87g carbs · 3g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Bowl of mashed fava beans with olive oil, tomato, and warm bread

🇪🇬 Alexandria

Ful is possibly the world’s oldest continuously eaten dish — fava beans simmered overnight in the great metal idra pots, dressed to order. In Alexandria it comes with sea air and extra lemon, and it holds you until dinner.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

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3 cups cooked fava beans (canned ful is traditional now)

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1.5 tsp ground cumin

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2 lemons

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1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

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2 cloves garlic, crushed

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1 + 1/2 + a handful tomato + onion + parsley, finely chopped

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4 baladi or pita bread, to serve

Instructions

1

Warm the beans in their liquid with the garlic and half the cumin, 10 minutes.

2

Mash roughly in the pot — some whole, some cream.

3

Season boldly with lemon juice, salt, and the rest of the cumin.

4

Bowl it, flood with olive oil, and top with tomato, onion, and parsley.

5

Serve with warm bread and extra lemon. Optional Alexandrian move: a spoon of chili on the side.

Alexandria breakfast tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Alexandria. The Mediterranean port that breakfasts on ful and sea air.

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Egypt. Five thousand years of feeding people along one river.

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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →