Chapter 5 : Egypt

I handed my torch to Katrina as we entered the tomb, stepping slowly toward the sarcophagus. "Beans," I said. "Among the gold and treasure of these tombs, they found fava beans."

"Fava beans?" she replied. "Why's that important?"

"Think of it! The first civilization, but both the poor and rich lived on a diet of a legume." I picked up a ruby, examining the gem in my palm. "They say even the pharoahs were satisfied with beans."

"So, you are sure these things aren't cursed, right?"

"Of course!" I said, ignoring the faint moaning coming from the sarcophagus. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Fava Beans

These brown beans often come in three sizes, and I recommend the small or medium, as the large can be a bit hard to cook evenly.

While chick peas are the staple of Levantine cuisine, Egypt has long used the fava bean for hummus, falafel, and easiest of all, ful medames. The flavor of this little bean, which I had never had until a short while ago, is incredible.

Ful Medames is the national dish of Egypt, and as simple as it sounds, it really is delicious. I tried out this recipe:

Ful Medames

Prep Time: Overnight (for beans soaking)

Cooking Time: 2 1/2 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 cups dry fava beans

1/3 cup parsley

olive oil

3 lemons, quartered

6 cloves garlic

chilli pepper flakes

cumin

Prep:

It is important to soak the beans overnight, or longer. Make sure to drain them completely. If you soak them for multiple days, drain them daily.

Cooking:

Put the drained beans in a pot and cover with unsalted water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, until beans are tender, and let the liquid reduce.

Take off the heat and mash the beans a bit. Then salt to taste.

Serve with the quartered lemons, cumin, chilli pepper flakes, parsley, garlic, and olive oil as condiments.