ful medames — Egypt

Ful medames is a dish of dried fava beans cooked for a long time until soft and creamy, then dressed at the table with olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and cumin. The name combines "ful," the Arabic word for bean, with "medames," a reference to the slow, buried style of cooking once used to prepare it. It is eaten warm, most often scooped up with bread rather than eaten with cutlery. It is reported from Egypt, where it is considered the country's national dish, eaten in Cairo and in villages alike, from breakfast through the evening meal. Related versions appear under similar names across much of North Africa and the Middle East, valued everywhere for their low cost and their high protein content. Dried fava beans are soaked overnight, then cooked slowly — once in a sealed pot buried in ashes or embers, today more often on a stovetop or in a slow cooker — until they break down into a thick, spoonable mass. Some cooks add a pinch of baking soda so the skins soften faster, while others leave the beans whole for texture. Seasoning is added only just before serving. The Cairo bowl keeps the beans only partly mashed, dressed simply with oil, lemon, garlic and cumin, and topped with chopped tomato, parsley, onion and a boiled egg. Chili and tahini are usually left on the side rather than mixed in, and the dish is eaten with flatbread for scooping, without rice or couscous.