Nomadic Treats

Breakfast

  • Ful Medames

    Ful Medames

    Ful Medames is one of Egypt’s most familiar everyday foods: slow-cooked fava beans seasoned simply and served with additions such as olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and fresh vegetables. Filling, inexpensive and deeply associated with breakfast, it is eaten at home, from street stalls and in casual restaurants across the country.

    What is ful Medames?

    Ful Medames is made from fava beans cooked until very tender, then seasoned and served in a way that can range from very simple to highly customized. The beans may be left mostly whole, lightly mashed or mixed until creamier, depending on the style and the person preparing them.

    Rather than being defined by one rigid recipe, Ful Medames is best understood as a base dish that is finished to taste. Common additions include cumin, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, chili, and chopped vegetables, giving the same pot of beans many possible variations.

    Ful Medames in Egyptian food culture

    Ful medames is a staple of Egyptian breakfast culture and is eaten across social and regional lines. It’s just as familiar from home-cooked meals as it is from neighborhood ful shops and street vendors, where customers can choose different seasonings and toppings to suit their taste.

    It also has an important place during Ramadan, when ful is commonly eaten at suhoor because it is filling and substantial without requiring an elaborate meal. Its affordability, versatility, and reliance on a simple staple ingredient have helped make it one of the foods most closely associated with everyday eating in Egypt.

    What does Ful Medames taste like

    Ful Medames has a mild, earthy flavor from the fava beans themselves, which makes it especially responsive to seasoning. Lemon juice adds brightness, cumin brings warmth, and olive oil gives the dish richness and a smoother mouthfeel.

    The texture can vary from chunky and rustic to soft and almost creamy, depending on how much the beans are mashed. Fresh toppings such as tomato, onion, parsley or chili can add acidity, crunch and heat, while tahini or additional olive oil can make the dish richer.

    How Ful Medames varies

    Ful Medames is prepared in many different ways across Egypt, with cooks adjusting the seasoning, texture, and toppings to suit local tastes. Some versions are kept very simple with oil, lemon, and cumin, while others include tahini, garlic, chili, eggs, or other additions.

    Alexandrian-style Ful, often called Ful Iskandarani, is known for a brighter, more heavily seasoned preparation that can include chopped tomato, onion, green peppers, or chili alongside the beans. That regional style is the basis for the Alexandrian ful Medames recipe featured on this site.

    Where does Ful Medames come from?

    Ful Medames has a long history in Egypt, where fava beans have been eaten for centuries and the dish has become deeply embedded in everyday food culture. Although it is often linked to ancient Egypt, the precise history of the modern preparation is difficult to trace continuously across such a long period.

    What is clear is that Ful Medames has been established as an Egyptian staple for generations and has also spread widely across the Middle East and North Africa, where local versions developed with different seasonings, toppings, and serving styles.

    Make Ful Medames at home

    Ready to make it yourself? Follow the full Alexandrian Ful Medames recipe with ingredients, step-by-step instructions, recipe notes, and video.

    Get the Alexandrian Ful Medames recipe →
  • Fatteh

    Fatteh

    Fatteh is a comforting Levantine dish built around layers of toasted or crisp bread, chickpeas and a creamy yogurt-based sauce, often flavored with tahini, garlic and lemon. Finished with nuts and other toppings depending on the version, it combines warm, soft and crunchy textures in a dish that is especially popular for breakfast and brunch but can be eaten at other times of day as well.

    What is Fatteh?

    Fatteh is assembled in layers rather than cooked as a single mixture. Pieces of bread form the base, chickpeas are added while warm, and a cool, tangy yogurt sauce is spooned over the top. Nuts and other garnishes are usually added just before serving so they keep their texture.

    The contrast between temperatures and textures is central to the dish: crisp or toasted bread softens slightly beneath the sauce, chickpeas add substance, and the yogurt mixture brings creaminess and acidity. Fatteh is best served soon after assembling, before the bread loses all of its crunch.

    Fatteh in Lebanon and the Levant

    Fatteh is closely associated with Lebanese food culture, but it is not uniquely Lebanese. Related versions are eaten across the Levant, including in Syria, Palestine and Jordan, with preparation and toppings varying from one place—and sometimes one household—to another. The shared name refers to a broader family of dishes rather than one rigidly standardized recipe.

    In Lebanon, Fatteh is particularly familiar at breakfast and brunch, both at home and in restaurants, although it is not confined to the morning. It can be served as part of a larger spread or eaten as a substantial dish on its own, and different versions may appear depending on the occasion and the cook.

    Different types of Fatteh

    There is no single definitive version of Fatteh. Chickpeas are common, but other versions may include eggplant, meat or different combinations of toppings and sauces. The bread itself can also vary in how it is prepared, from toasted pieces to bread fried until crisp.

    What connects these variations is the basic idea of layering bread with other ingredients and serving the components together so that contrasting textures remain part of the experience. This flexibility is one reason the name Fatteh can describe noticeably different dishes across the region.

    What does Fatteh taste like?

    Fatteh is creamy, tangy and savory, with the yogurt, tahini, garlic and lemon providing most of the dish’s flavor. Chickpeas are mild and earthy, while toasted or fried bread adds a deeper, slightly nutty character beneath the sauce.

    Texture is just as important as taste. The best bowls balance creamy sauce and tender chickpeas with bread that still retains some crispness, while nuts on top add another layer of crunch. Because the bread gradually absorbs the sauce after assembly, Fatteh changes noticeably the longer it sits.

    Where does Fatteh come from?

    Fatteh does not have a single clearly documented point of origin. The name is commonly linked to the Arabic root fatt, referring to breaking or tearing bread into pieces—a technique at the heart of the dish. Using bread in this way also made it possible to revive older bread and stretch other ingredients into a more substantial meal.

    That practical idea developed into many different preparations across the Arab world. In the Levant, bread might be combined with chickpeas, eggplant, meat or other ingredients and finished with yogurt, tahini or lemon-based sauces. What began as an economical way of building a meal has also become a dish served at family gatherings, restaurants and more elaborate occasions.

    Make Fatteh at home

    Ready to make it yourself? Follow the full Fatteh recipe with ingredients, step-by-step instructions and video.

    Get the Fatteh recipe →
  • Alexandrian Ful Medames

    Alexandrian Ful Medames

    This Alexandrian Ful Medames recipe turns slow-cooked fava beans into a creamy, richly seasoned breakfast with tomato, green pepper, garlic, tahini, cumin and coriander. Fresh vegetables and parsley are reserved for the top, while a generous drizzle of olive oil finishes the dish.

    Plan ahead: the dried fava beans need to soak overnight before cooking.

    Watch how to make Alexandrian Ful Medames

    Ingrdients

    • 1 1/2 cups dried fava beans, about 300 g (10.5 oz)
    • 1/2 onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 large tomato
    • 1/2 green bell pepper
    • 1 bunch parsley
    • 3 tbsp tomato paste, about 45 g (1.6 oz)
    • 4 tbsp (60 ml / 1/4 cup) tahini
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • Salt and black pepper, to taste
    • Lemon juice, optional
    • Olive oil, as needed

    Instructions

    Soak and cook the beans

    Soak the fava beans in plenty of water overnight.

    The next day, drain and rinse the beans well. Place them in a pot, cover with fresh water and add the baking soda.

    Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and skim off any white foam that rises to the surface. Partially cover the pot and continue cooking until the beans are very tender.

    Once the beans are soft, remove them from the heat. Drain them, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

    Prepare the vegetables

    While the beans are cooking, grate the onion, finely dice the green pepper and tomato, finely chop the garlic, and chop the parsley.

    Set aside a small amount of the onion, tomato, green pepper, and parsley to use later as garnish.

    Blend the beans

    Return the cooked beans to the pot or transfer them to a bowl. Add a ladleful of the reserved cooking liquid and blend or pulse until the beans are creamy and soft.

    Add a little more cooking liquid as needed to reach the consistency you prefer.

    Cook the vegetables

    Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the grated onion and cook for a couple of minutes.

    Add the green pepper and garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.

    Add the tomato and parsley and stir briefly. Then add the tomato paste, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the vegetables are softened and well combined.

    Finish the Ful Medames

    Add the blended fava beans to the pan with the cooked vegetables and mix well.

    Stir in the tahini, then season with the cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

    Finish with a drizzle of lemon juice, if using, and add a little reserved cooking liquid if you want a looser consistency.

    Serve

    Transfer the Ful Medames to a serving bowl. Top with the reserved onion, tomato, green pepper, and parsley, then finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm.

    Recipe notes

    Soaking the beans

    Soaking the dried fava beans overnight helps them cook more evenly and reduces the time needed on the stove.

    Baking soda

    The baking soda helps soften the beans as they cook. Use only the small amount listed in the recipe so it does not affect the flavor.

    Save the cooking liquid

    Reserve some of the bean cooking liquid before draining. It is useful for blending the beans and adjusting the final consistency without diluting the flavor.

    Adjust the texture

    Alexandrian Ful Medames can be served quite creamy or left slightly more textured. Add the reserved cooking liquid gradually until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

    Learn more about Ful Medames

    Want to know more about the dish itself? Explore the history, food culture, regional variations and story behind Ful Medames.

  • Fatteh

    Fatteh

    This Lebanese Fatteh recipe layers crisp pita bread and chickpeas with a creamy yogurt, tahini, garlic and lemon sauce, then finishes the dish with golden almonds, dried mint and sumac. The contrast between warm chickpeas, crunchy bread and cool, tangy yogurt is what makes the dish so satisfying.

    Plan ahead: the dried chickpeas need to soak for at least 8 hours before cooking.

    Watch how to make Fatteh

    Ingredients

    For the yogurt sauce

    • 500 g (17.6 oz) Greek yogurt
    • 3 tbsp tahini
    • 3 tbsp lemon juice
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • Salt, to taste

    For the chickpeas and pita

    • 2 medium pita breads
    • Olive oil, for brushing
    • 3/4 cup dried chickpeas
    • 1/2 tsp cumin
    • Salt, to taste

    For the topping

    • 3 tbsp slivered almonds
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1/2 tsp dried mint
    • 1/2 tsp sumac

    Instructions

    Make ahead

    Soak the chickpeas overnight for at least 8 hours. Drain, then boil them in fresh water until tender. Drain and set aside, reserving a little of the chickpea cooking water.

    Toast the pita

    Preheat the oven and brush the pita breads lightly with olive oil. Bake until crisp and golden, then remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.

    Make the yogurt sauce

    In a bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic and salt. Mix until smooth and well combined.

    Prepare the chickpeas and bread

    Break the toasted pita into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the cooked chickpeas and a little of the reserved chickpea cooking water. Season with salt and cumin, then mix gently.

    Assemble the Fatteh

    Spread the chickpea and pita mixture over the bottom of a serving dish or shallow platter. Spoon the yogurt mixture evenly over the top.

    Finish with almonds and spices

    Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pan. Add the slivered almonds and fry until golden. Drizzle the almonds and their oil over the Fatteh.

    Finish with the dried mint and sumac, then serve immediately while the bread still retains some crispness.

    Learn more about Fatteh

    Want to know more about the dish itself? Explore the variations, origins and food culture behind Fatteh.