Restaurant review: Falling for fava Gamal Nkrumah finds a familiar take on fava beans in a satellite city in the sands "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti," growls the gruesome Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 classic The Silence of the Lambs. Eerily, Al-Shabrawy, the authentic Egyptian fast food chain, does draw ghouls, geeks and the greedy. And, nowhere more on full display than at Al-Shabrawy branch in Rehab City, one of many a strange conurbation that seemingly sprang out of the desert enveloping Cairo overnight. Fuul medammes (pronounced me-dam-mes) is a lewd locution which rolls easily off the Egyptian tongue. Is there a deep cultural divide here? The point is that Al-Shabrawy's fuul medammes, fava beans Egyptian-style, is exquisite and a hoot. Al-Shabrawy is the eatery many middle class Egyptians frequent when they fancy a snack that they would not be seen dead eating from the callused hands of a veteran stall-holder in a run-down neighbourhood. And, the clientele is generally delighted with Al-Shabrawy's creations. Egyptians do not take their food as seriously as say the Italians or the Lebanese. Fuul medammes is filling, and that will do, thank you very much. Egypt is perhaps the Mediterranean country least known for its food. The street side of the Egyptian food scene is the most entertaining. The produce of peasants is transformed into fast food in the flourishing makeshift stalls. Pickles and salads accompany dishes invariably based on fava beans. Al-Shabrawy hails from such a venerated tradition. It first experimented with traditional fast food in the plush suburb of Heliopolis. And, many of Al-Shabrawy's best known branches are located there -- including the Heliopolis Sporting Club branch reputed to be among the best of Al-Shabrawy outlets. Al-Shabrawy in the Food Court artificial lakeside district of the satellite city of Rehab in the middle of the desert beyond Heliopolis and Madinet Nasr is one of the newer outlets. Service is usually fast at Al-Shabrawy outlets. But, I am afraid for some weird reason, it wasn't at Rehab's Food Court. The waiters were veritable zombies mumbling absurd gaffes. They stood aghast as bean-lovers salivated over their favourite fava bean dish. There are so many exotic tastes and flavours associated with fava beans that I can name only a few. Rich in nutrients, fava beans have long been the staple and main source of protein among the poor of Egypt. It does not require a numerologist versed in the mysteries and magical appeal of the fuul medammes to decipher the significance of these statistics. The fava bean is tasty. It is also vital for the health of the Egyptian population, where an estimated 30 million Egyptians still survive on less than a dollar a day. In Egypt, fuul medammes is eaten in several interesting ways. For starters, there are regional variations -- Iskandarani (Alexandrian) being one of the most popular. Everyone has their particular favourite. Some prefer their beans mashed, and others -- myself included -- would much rather have the fava beans whole. Second, what kind of sauce to go with the beans? Some like it hot: fiery chili. Others like subtle herbs like cumin, and others cannot eat it without a fried egg, spring onions or tomatoes. Some like their fuul medammes served with samna -- the Egyptian traditional clarified butter or ghee. I personally prefer my fuul with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Medammes, believe it or not, is derived from the Coptic word meaning "buried". That in all probability refers to the original way of preparing the dish. The fava beans were in ancient times cooked in a sealed pot with some water and spices under hot coals. In other words the pot was buried and only "exhumed" after the beans were thoroughly cooked. Today, the beans are soaked overnight, and then placed in a special stewpot ( idra in colloquial Egyptian Arabic) reserved for the fuul medammes and nothing else, with a little salt, pepper and spices and left to simmer slowly the next night. This is certainly a dish that cannot be rushed. Finely chopped onion and garlic, sliced tomato, cumin, chili, coriander and cayenne for seasoning accompany the fava beans into the idra. The taqliya is typically Egyptian. It is a garlic-based sauce. The garlic is crushed by pounding it with a little salt and coriander in a mortar and then fried and poured sizzling hot over the beans. There are lots of other local dishes at Al-Shabrawy, Rehab. Beware, however, the fans that spray and spit water of a dubious nature. Promptly ask the waiter to do something about it. You neither want to be drenched, nor your food contaminated by it. But let us at least not give Al-Shabrawy scandal. Al-Shabrawy The Food Court Rehab City Tel: 02 2692 2860/1 Lunch for two: LE55
