Dips & Small Plates

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

All throughout 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 (pronounced: beess-awe-ra).