ful medames

English

Alternative forms

• ful mudammas, foul madames, foule mudammas

Etymology

From Arabic فُول مُدَمَّس (fūl mudammas). The first part is فُول (fūl, “fava bean”); the second word is unlikely to be the Coptic word meaning “buried” Coptic ⲧⲱⲙⲥ (tōms, “to bury”) as has been claimed but rather the Arabic root Arabic د م س (d m s, “hidden, buried”).

Noun

ful medames (uncountable)

1. An originally Egyptian/Sudanese dish of cooked, mashed fava beans served with oil and spices (and sometimes other ingredients such as diced cucumbers and tomatoes), commonly eaten as a breakfast food, now also popular in neighbouring countries.