Ful medames is the Egyptian dish of slowly cooked fava beans often called Egypt’s national dish.
The beans are commonly simmered until soft and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt. Ful is usually eaten with flatbread and may be topped with chopped vegetables, herbs, or hard-boiled eggs.
The dish is strongly associated with breakfast, but Egyptians also eat it at other times. Its name comes from Arabic, while the cooking method has very old roots in the region. Ful medames is especially popular during Ramadan and is sold by street vendors and specialist breakfast restaurants.
Koshari is another famous Egyptian dish, but it combines rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, tomato sauce, and fried onions. It is not the bean dish identified here. Ful also differs from falafel, which is made from ground legumes and fried rather than simmered whole.