A popular Egyptian and Maghrebi dish — split fava beans boiled and mashed with fresh coriander, garlic, cumin, and olive oil into a creamy spread. High in fiber and plant protein, low glycemic index, free from common allergens.
Bessara is a popular Egyptian and Maghrebi legume dish — its name comes from the word for split fava beans. In Egypt it is served thick and green with abundant herbs alongside bread, while in Morocco it is thinner, served as a warm soup in winter.
It is built on boiled mashed split fava beans with coriander, garlic, cumin, and olive oil. A rustic, economical, nourishing food — the farmer's breakfast that provides sustained energy and fiber — still present on popular Egyptian breakfast tables across the Nile Delta.
Drain the soaked split fava beans, place them in a pot with water covering them by a few inches, and bring to a boil then lower the heat and skim the foam. Simmer for about 35 to 40 minutes until completely tender and easy to mash. Peeled split beans cook faster.
In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the fresh coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, ground coriander, and a pinch of salt. The generous herbs give Bessara its green color and distinctive flavor — brief cooking sets the color and taste.
Blend the mixture with an immersion blender (or food processor) until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add a little of the cooking water if it is too thick. The desired consistency is creamy and pourable like a thick soup or porridge.
Return the mash to the heat, add olive oil and lemon juice, and stir on low heat until well combined and heated through. Taste and adjust salt, cumin, and lemon. Bessara is served on the thick side and thickens further on cooling, so leave it a little wetter than needed.
Pour the Bessara into a bowl, make a well in the center and pour in olive oil, then sprinkle with paprika or cumin and coriander. Some regions fry onions or garlic and add them on top. The olive oil and paprika garnish is its traditional look.
Serve Bessara warm with flatbread for dipping as a satisfying Egyptian countryside breakfast, or as part of a breakfast spread with Ful (stewed fava beans), falafel, and vegetables. In Morocco it is served thinner as a soup. It is an economical nutritious high-fiber legume dish.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Bessara, and how to fix them:
Not enough herbs or they were cooked too long after adding. Use plenty of coriander and parsley, and add them at the end of cooking not the beginning — long cooking fades their green color.
Not blended well enough or the beans were not tender. Boil the beans until completely tender and blend with a blender until smooth with no lumps, adding cooking water as needed to help the blending.
Not enough liquid or it thickened on cooling. Add cooking water or hot water gradually until the desired consistency. Bessara thickens on cooling, so leave it a little wetter.
Not enough garlic, cumin, or lemon. These are Bessara's core flavors — be generous with them, and lemon juice at serving brightens the taste. Taste and adjust.
They were not soaked or peeled. Use peeled split fava beans soaked overnight — the skin gives heaviness and bitterness. Soaking and peeling give a smoother texture and milder taste.
Bessara keeps in an airtight container for 3 days. It thickens on cooling, so reheat with a splash of water on low heat and stir. Add fresh olive oil when serving.
Freeze for 3 months in portioned containers (legumes freeze well). Thaw and reheat with added water and stirring, and add fresh herbs to revive the color.
Soak the beans overnight, boil and mash in advance, then reheat with oil and lemon at serving time. The flavor actually improves with a little rest.
Heat on low with added water to adjust consistency while stirring continuously so it does not stick. Add fresh olive oil and lemon juice when serving.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split fava beans | Frozen green fava beans or whole peeled fava beans | same amount | Green gives a brighter color; split peeled beans cook faster and have a smoother consistency |
| Olive oil | Reduce to 1 tablespoon per serving | 1 spoon instead of 3 | Reduces calories while keeping the flavor — olive oil is a healthy fat but calorie-dense |
| Thick (Egyptian style) | Thin it as a soup (Moroccan style) | add more water | The Moroccan version is thinner, served as a warm soup especially in winter |
| Servings | Split fava beans | Coriander | Garlic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 (half recipe) | ¾ cup | half a bunch | 2 cloves |
| 4 (base) | 1½ cups | 1 large bunch | 4 cloves |
| 8 (large family) | 3 cups | 2 bunches | 8 cloves |
Bessara is one of the smartest breakfasts nutritionally: fava beans are a high-fiber plant protein that prolongs fullness and regulates blood sugar, the glycemic index is low, the generous herbs add vitamins and antioxidants, and olive oil is a healthy fat. An excellent choice for monitoring blood sugar and weight. Watch only the olive oil (healthy but calorie-dense), and serve with whole wheat bread.
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