Beans, lentils & pulses · Beans
Fava beans (dried)
Large, flat dried broad beans; simmered and mashed into ful medames, falafel and bean purées.
Also called: broad beans, ful, foul, habas, bakla
A kind of beans
Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)
What it is
Fava beans (broad beans) are one of the oldest cultivated legumes. This record is the dried bean, which is large, flat and tan to brown with a tough skin; split, skinned favas are also sold and cook faster. Fresh green broad beans are a separate entry. Small brown Egyptian ful beans are a fava type.
Vicia faba
How it’s used
- Slow-cooked and mashed into Egyptian ful medames
- Soaked (not cooked) and ground for Egyptian falafel (ta'ameya)
- Puréed with olive oil into Greek and Italian fava purée
- Cooked into Moroccan bissara soup
Characteristics
- Taste
- Earthy, slightly bitter and buttery.
- Texture
- Floury and creamy once cooked; skins are tough.
- When cooked
- Needs long soaking and cooking; skinned split favas break down quickly into purée.
- Sold as
- dried, canned
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling, Suitable for frying
Kinds in our pantry
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Keep airtight in a cool, dry place. Canned ful should be refrigerated once opened.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- People with G6PD deficiency can have a serious reaction (favism) to fava beans and are advised to avoid them.
- Cook dried favas thoroughly; cool cooked legumes quickly and refrigerate; reheat until piping hot and use within a few days.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 341 kcal
- Protein
- 26.12 g
- Carbohydrate
- 58.29 g
- Fat
- 1.53 g
- Fibre
- 25 g
- Sugars
- 5.7 g
USDA FoodData Central: Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Dried chickpeas — For falafel; nuttier and less earthy.
- White beans (canned) — In purées; milder and quicker.
Related ingredients
Recipes with fava beans (dried)
Bessara (Egyptian green fava bean and herb dip)
Egyptian · 1 h 15 min · 225 kcal · VeganBigilla
Maltese · 1 h 40 min · 226 kcal · Vegan
Bissara
Moroccan · 1 h · 385 kcal · VeganFul medames
Egyptian · 14 h 40 min · 310 kcal · VeganJudd mat Gaardebounen
Luxembourgish · 2 h 20 min · 713 kcal
Solterito arequipeño
Peruvian · 43 min · 384 kcal · VegetarianTa'ameya (Egyptian fava bean falafel)
Egyptian · 1 h 10 min · 328 kcal · Vegan
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