Out of Aleppo

Stewed Fava Beans (Ful Medames)

Best known as Egypt’s national dish, ful medames is a hearty stew of warmed fava beans stirred with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic, usually eaten for breakfast.

Ruth Nehmad is an Aleppino, a former resident of the Syrian city of Aleppo, where she lived in a close-knit sephardic Jewish community; when she emigrated to the United States, the food came along with her. "We're all united by one common food," says Nehmad of her fellow Aleppinos. "We're spread all over the world... and when you see each other, we can be in China, in Russia, and we all know the same food. It all holds us together." Those dishes include Ful Medames, which Ruth's granddaughter Lucy-Ruth Hathaway wrote about in our 150th issue.

**See the recipe for Ful Medames »