What A Ful Believes

NATIONAL DISH OF FGYPT - Ful Medames

I had been cooking for The Molefaces for a while, but haven't really made many GGJ meals for my family. This is mainly due to that most of them live 300km north of me. However, my oldest sister Dot and her family moved to Melbourne earlier this year and they live only 20 mins away. I usually go over to their house every week, and have made meals and tasty delights for them on numerous occasions. My nephew and niece Brock and Paige love my macarons and always suggest they need to be made again. But I have never actually made a GGJ meal for them. So over I went for dinner, and decided I would try out some Egyptian cuisine on the Dixons. But I felt I needed a kitchen assistant. Brock was away competing in tennis tournaments in the US, so Paige stepped up to the task, even with her own apron.

Ful Medames is a staple throughout the Middle East, and is eaten by all, no matter their socio-economic status. An ancient dish by any standards, that is believed to have even been consumed by pharaohs. A simple meal, Ful consists of mashed fava beans, smooth olive oil, crushed garlic, acidic lemon juice, and fresh chopped parsley. These ingredients provide a myriad of textures and flavours, and are enhanced by a little spice that is characteristic of Middle Eastern cuisine. Often eaten before sunrise, particularly during the fasting month of Ramadan, Ful Medames is eaten with pita bread (either stuffed inside or scooped up by). It may then garnished with hard boiled or fried eggs. Ful Medames is a traditional and communally shared meal, evident of the hospitality found in places that serve it as a long-lasting breakfast.

Enjoy, or as they say in Egypt,  بالهنا و الشفاء! (bil hana wish shifa'!)



Link for an excellent Middle Eastern dip: http://books.google.com/books?id=ptZgNoobsyUC&pg=PA570&dq=ful+medames+buried&hl=en&ei=ytFBTsu-KOWDmQWbmaGrCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ful%20medames%20buried&f=true

Difficulty:         4

Appearance:    3

Taste:               4

TOTAL:            11

Note: Difficulty is scaled in reverse to the other categories, where 1 =  was extremely difficult to make, and 5 = was easy to make.

This is a pretty simple meal to make and it doesn't take that long to produce it. Which is not surprising since it is mostly eaten at breakfast time. For if Egyptians are anything like myself, I am not at my most active in the morning. So most foods need to be simple, and require hardly any preparation.

Despite the unflattering brown colour, the Ful did look very appetising! Especially with the flecks of green from the parsley that had been mixed through it.

I think we just found my new favourite dip! The texture of the mashed fava beans go really well with the pita bread, whether it is soft or heated/cooked. But the flavour, oh the flavour! The spices give the beans a good kick of flavour, but I highly suggest you watch the amount of cumin and cayenne pepper that you add. Because you don't want them to overpower the other flavours of the dish, or set people's mouth on fire if they are not used to heat. And the lemon juice adds a good twist to the dish, complimenting the beans and spices exceptionally well.

But the biggest surprise, was that the Dixons ate it all! I thought it was gonna be difficult to get them to try Ful, and that due to the spices they wouldn't like it. But Dot and Greg loved it! So much so, that Greg asked me if I expected to take it home, cause there wasn't gonna be any left. Paige on the other hand sampled some and instantly declared her dislike for it. Children can be fussy eaters, so this may be expected when given to other kids, but Paige will pretty much eat anything. In fact her nickname is "The Vulture". Well thank you for your culinary assistance Paige Dixon, your apprenticeship at The GGJ has only just begun!