Fava beans (broad beans)

فول / fūl · fava bean · broad bean

Flavor and role: Large, nutty beans; fresh ones are green and sweet, dried ones are floury. They are also the raw material for doubanjiang.
Typical dishes and uses: Ful medames (Egypt), ta'ameya (Egyptian falafel), Spanish habas con jamon
Substitutes: Replace dried favas with chickpeas, fresh favas with peas or edamame 1:1. People with G6PD deficiency should not eat them.
Storage: Dried beans keep 1 year at room temperature; fresh beans, shelled and blanched, freeze for 6 months.
Main countries: Egypt · Ethiopia · Spain
Used in this book: Bissara (Moroccan Fava Bean Soup)Ful Medames Lahpet Thoke (Burmese Tea Leaf Salad)Bissara with Garlic Confit and Toasted Cumin Oil Bissara Tadka Dal with Mustard Seeds and Curry Leaves (Moroccan × Indian)Whipped Bissara Dip with Sizzling Cumin-Chili Butter Fava and Chickpea Falafel with Parsley Tarator and Sumac Onions Slow-Simmered Ful with Tahini and Garlic Tasha Ful Medames Huevos Rancheros Whipped Ful & Tahini Toast with Za'atar Lahpet Avocado Crunch Toast with Jammy Egg

Updated 2026-10-10