Bissara or Bessara, Besarah, and Tamarakt is a dish from Egyptian and Moroccan cuisine.
▶It is a soup or sauce made from split fava beans (sometimes made with split peas or chickpeas), onions, garlic, fresh herbs, and spices.
▶The ingredients are slowly cooked and then blended together to create a creamy sauce or side dish.
▶Food historians believe the name Bissara derives from the hieroglyphic world “Bisourou” (or bissouro), meaning “cooked beans”.
▶In Morocco, it is popular during the colder months of the year and is typically served in shallow bowls or deep plates, topped with olive oil, paprika, and cumin, sometimes lemon.
▶Sometimes bread is eaten dipped into the dish.
Other fava bean-based recipes on the blog:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs split fava beans
- 6.3 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon
- to taste salt
- to taste olive oil
Steps
Soak the split fava beans for at least 8 hours.
Transfer the beans to a pot, add the water, olive oil, crushed garlic, and spices. Cook for at least 35 minutes, then blend, add lemon juice and salt, season with olive oil, and serve with slices of bread.
Egyptian Bissara:
In Egypt, it is consumed exclusively as a sauce for bread and served at breakfast, as a meze.
Egyptian Bissara includes herbs or leafy greens, chili, lemon juice, and occasionally onion.
Traditionally, it is the dish of a rural farmer, although it has become more popular in urban Egypt since 2011 because it is healthier than its urban counterpart, ful medames.
It is generally inexpensive and has been described as a poor man’s dish.
