Egyptian fava bean dip: Bissara (bessara)

It's that time of the year: Fava bean season. And by fava been I mean broad beans. Not the beans used in ful mudammas. This is the bigger louder cousin of the bean family.

All througout the mediterranean basin, fava beans are on display. Each country has its own approach to eating them. In Portugal, they are used to make hearty stews, in France they are eaten fresh or thrown into salads. And in Egypt, they are pureed into a lovely dip called Bissara. (Beess-awe-ra).

Beware! A similar type of dish and name exists in Morocco of berber origin, but it is more of a soup. One could deduce that bissara, which has its origins in the pharaonic era, made its way across the sahara to Morocco. The Egyptian version is different though.

Simple yet efficient

Bissara is a mezze dish, but more for breakfast and especially if you're in the rural areas. You eat this and your good for the day. It's a similar approach to the ful muddammas meal. You eat this and you've got your proteins and carbs for the day; like a stone in your stomach.

But it's a very popular mezze dish in the cities too. Most restaurants will have it on their menu. 

So what is it?

It's quite simply mashed fava beans with fresh herbs, mixed with some seasoned oil. Boom! There you go. It's really the base for making Egyptian falafel (taameya) but with different seasoning. 

Origins

The broad bean became domesticated in the Near East some time around 3000BC. Or possibly even earlier, as one source cites charred remains in Neolithic sites in the Levantine region, marking the domestication of the crop to as early as 8250 BC. 

Egyptians, Romans, Greeks....they all had the perfect growing environment for it and thus have been consuming it for centuries. Some call it fava, or faba, or broad bean. It's all the same.  It's considered to be 'Old World Agriculture".  Regardless, it's one of the most ancient plants in cultivation, likely because it's one of the easiest to grow. 

Some consider the dish itself to date back to the pharaonic times, a likely scenario given all the ingredients grow in abundance naturally in Egypt: fava beans, dill, coriander, parsley, garlic, and cumin. 

While the word 'Bissara' likely stems from the Coptic word peeseowor, meaning cooked and mashed beans, there's no evidence really that this particular dish was eaten in ancient Egypt. There is, however, a dish in Morocco with a similar name, but it is served as soup. 

Traditional food

It's a very popular dish among the Coptic community during the times of fasting (over 250 days), when they have to stay away from animal products. You normally eat it before a main meal, or as a snack. 

It's also a very inexpensive meal to prepare, making it a popular dish among the poorer Egyptians, especially in the countryside where these ingredients are readily and easily found. Here, bissara is often eaten as a meal rather than a snack. You can put it in the same category as ful muddammas, and really, if you look at the ingredients, it's the precursor to taameya (egyptian falafel)!  

Urbanisation

As is the case with many peasant dishes, mass urbanisation in the early to mid 20th century saw this dish make its way into the big cities. 

It is now a staple in many restaurants when you order your mezze, or appetizers. Most families will have it when eating out; but it's not a popular dish to make at home. 

Growing up, this definitely not a dish we had at home, or even when eating out in Egypt. It was quite off the radar for our family; on both sides to be honest. 

But it was at the insistence of my cousins there that I try this dish. So I did. And not only that, I offered to my nine-month old baby who devoured it. 

What to do with fava beans?

When springtime hits, the markets are chock-full of fresh fava beans. I've always been at a loss at what to do with them. But now.....now I can tap into my roots and whip out this golden number. 

It's fresh, it's healthy, and it's very filling, so it's a great meal substitute if you're looking for something light.

The secret to making the flavours blend together beautifully is the tasha. The oil, similar to molokhia's taqliya, is a mix of chopped garlic, ground cumin, and ground coriander seeds. Together they make the blandest of fava beans shine. 

The recipe I did uses fresh beans, but dried fava beans are just as easy to use, but they take time to prepare. 

I will put in the recipe for both. 

INGREDIENTS

500g of dried fava beans OR about 1kg of fresh fava beans

one onion (red or white)

a handful of: 

• fresh parsley
• fresh dill
• fresh coriander

tasha (seasoned oil): 

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 crushed garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt

DIRECTIONS

1. If you're using dried fava beans, soak them overnight, then strain, and then cook in salted water with half an onion cut into quarters for at least one hour, or until the beans are soft and cooked.

2. If you're using fresh fava beans, shell them and then cook them in salted water with half an ion cut into quarters for about 20 minutes (maybe less,  depending on your stove), until beans are soft and cooked. 

(freshly shelled beans)

(cooked beans)

3. Strain beans

4. In a large mixing bowl, add fresh herbs and cooked fava beans.

5. Blend using a food processor or hand blender. 

6. In a small saucepan or pot, heat the olive oil and add the spices, while stirring until all the spices are incorporated, but make sure to avoid it from bubbling or burning. It needs to be hot, not boiling.

7. In a separate pan, slice the remaining onion and fry until golden. 

8. With the pureed beans in a bowl, add the oil on top and the onions. 

9. Serve with warmed pita bread and enjoy!