A savoury breakfast
Arabic breakfasts are savoury, shared and generous.
- Foul medames: fava beans with cumin, lemon and olive oil, Egypt’s national breakfast.
- Shakshuka: eggs poached in spiced tomato and pepper sauce.
Building a Levantine breakfast spread
Add labneh with za’atar and olive oil, manakish or warm khubz, olives, cucumber, tomato, fresh mint, boiled eggs and hummus, with sweet black tea.
For sehri
Foul medames is a classic Ramadan sehri dish in Egypt and the Gulf because the beans keep you full for hours. See our sehri ideas for more.
South Asian readers will find foul close to chana or lobia, and shakshuka a cousin of anda masala.