🇲🇦 Morocco
Bessara
بيصارة · bīṣāra
Northern Morocco’s dried fava bean soup — split favas simmered soft with garlic and puréed smooth, then served under a pool of olive oil, cumin and paprika.
Serves ~4–6
Photo to come
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups / 12 oz dried split fava beans
- 6–7 garlic cloves
- ⅓–½ cup olive oil
- 6½–8 cups water
- 2 tsp cumin · 2 tsp paprika · salt
- (Optional: a chili · lemon)
- To finish: olive oil · cumin · paprika or cayenne
Method
- Simmer the split favas with the garlic, olive oil, spices and water until the beans are completely soft and breaking down.
- Blend smooth, adding some of the cooking liquid to reach the consistency you want — thick for a dip, looser for soup.
- Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon; reheat gently, thinning with water as it thickens.
- Ladle into bowls.
- Finish each with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of cumin and paprika or cayenne.
The family table
Bessara is winter street food in the north, most famously in blue Chefchaouen, ladled up hot with bread. It comes out of the pot deliberately plain — the olive oil, cumin and cayenne spooned on at the table are what bring it alive, so don’t skimp on them. Thick, it’s a communal dip; thinned, it’s a soup.
Yumma
Middle Eastern home cooking, organized by country. Your family’s version is the one that counts.