CAIRO - For Egyptians, eating fuul (fava beans) is a Ramadan habit they cannot break. Just before iftar, customers go to the shops to buy their substantial, mouth-watering fuul medames, which tastes out of this world. Since the beginning of Ramadan, many food shops in Cairo have introduced colourful tents to mark the holy month of fasting with fuul, one of the most important dishes at iftar and sohour. Fuul is an essential part of these two main meals, because it is fat- and cholesterol-free. It is a staple of the Egyptian diet, despite price increases, and fuul vendors are doing a brisk trade during Ramadan. It's hard to believe that fuul stands, slightly less spacious than a phone box, sell hundreds of dishes a day before iftar (the fast-breaking meae) and sohour (the pre-dawn meal) to hungry customers. At home, the Egyptians embellish their fuul with oil, tomatoes, onions and some tahini (sesame seed paste), before eating it with bread. However, an iftar meal isn't an iftar meal if there aren't a few pieces of fried taamiya (falafel) stuffed into some pita bread. For many years, Egyptians have been drawn by the wonderful aroma to el-Gahsh, a restaurant in el-Sayyeda Zeinab, for falafel and fuul dishes for iftar. Known as the ‘Egyptian hamburger', the humble falafel is a vital part of the country's culture. Buying falafel and fuul has became a ritual for Egyptians, on their way home for the daily iftar, Gahsh junior, says, adding that he is very proud and possessive of this traditional, national food. He asserts that Egypt's Coptic Christians invented falafel, which is also made from fava beans . El-Gahsh flavors the fava bean mixture with fresh parsley and then fries it. “A meal, consisting of fuul and falafel, pickled vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, tahini and baladi bread, costs LE5.50,” he says.
