Bissara, bessara, besarah, bayssara , bayssar and tamarakt () is a dish in

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

and

Moroccan cuisine Moroccan cuisine () is the cuisine of Morocco, fueled by interactions and exchanges with many cultures and nations over the centuries. Moroccan cuisine is usually a mix of Arab cuisine, Arab, Berber cuisine, Berber, Andalusian cuisine, Andalusi, ...

. The dish contains split

fava beans ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Vari ...

, onions, garlic, fresh aromatic herbs and spices. All ingredients are slowly cooked and then blended to yield a creamy and fragrant dip or side dish. In ancient Jewish cuisine, a similar dish, known as "mikpah ful" in

rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire corpus of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic ...

, was commonly consumed.

Etymology

Food historians believe that the name Bissara originates from the

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian Hieroglyphic word "Bisourou" (or ''bissouro),'' which means "cooked beans".

Preparation

Bissara uses

purée A purée (or mash) is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., appl ...

broad bean ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Vari ...

s as a primary ingredient. Additional ingredients include garlic,

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

, hot red pepper,

cumin Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...

, and salt. Bissara is sometimes prepared using

split pea Split peas are an agricultural or culinary preparation consisting of the dried, peeled and split seeds of '' Pisum sativum'', the pea. Harvesting The peas are spherical when harvested, with an outer skin. The peas are dried and the dull-colou ...

s or

chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual plant, annual legume of the family (biology), family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, ga ...

Egyptian cuisine

In Egypt, bissara is eaten exclusively as a dip for bread, and is served for breakfast, as a ''

meze ''Meze'' (also spelled ''mezze'' or ''mezé'') (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish cuisine, Spanish tapas and Italian cuisine, Italian Antipasto, antipasti. A ''me ...

'', or more rarely, for lunch or dinner. Egyptian bissara includes herbs or leafy greens, hot peppers, lemon juice, and occasionally onion. It is traditionally a rural farmer's dish, though it has become more popular in urban Egypt since 2011 because it is healthier than its rural counterpart,

ful medames Ful medames ( ; other spellings include ''ful mudammas'' and '' foule mudammes'', in Coptic: ⲫⲉⲗ ''phel'' or ''fel''), or simply fūl, is a stew of cooked fava beans served with olive oil, cumin, and optionally with chopped parsley, garlic, ...

. It is typically inexpensive, and has been described as a pauper's dish. In Egypt, bissara also includes herbs or leafy greens—particularly

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring ...

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

, or

molokhiya Mulukhiyah (Arabic: ملوخية, romanized: mulūkhiyyah), also known as mulukhiyya , molokhiyya, melokhiyya, or ewédú, is a type of jute plant and a dish made from the leaves of ''Corchorus olitorius'', commonly known in English as jute, J ...

, though the latter is more commonly added by Egyptian expatriates in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

—and is eaten with bread as a dip.

Moroccan cuisine

In Morocco, bissara is popular during the colder months of the year and can be found in town squares and various alleyways. It is typically served in shallow bowls or soup plates, and topped with olive oil, paprika, and cumin. Bread is sometimes eaten dipped into the dish, and lemon juice is sometimes added as a topping.

Similar dishes

Tova Dickstein Tova is a given name, nickname and a surname. The name ''Tova'' has multiple origins. Deriving from Old Norse, it is thought to be a hypocoristic form of the name ''Þórfríðr''.Teresa Norman,Tova" ''A World of Baby Names''. New York: Penguin, 2 ...

, an expert in ancient food, linked the ancient

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

dish known as ''mikpah'' or ''mikpah ful'', mentioned multiple times in

, to the modern bissara. Ancient sources describe it as a dip made from fava beans, garlic, mint, and olive oil. Due to its frequent appearance in the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

, which also includes a halakhic rule stating that a ''

sukkah A or succah (; ; plural, ' or ' or ', often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic ...

'' may only be abandoned during rain once the ''mikpah'' has become wet and smelly, she referred to it as the "

national dish A national dish is a culinary Dish (food), dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs ...

" of the ancient

Israelites Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

References

External links

Peace Corps Bissara Recipe

Moroccan Fava Bean Soup - New York Times Cooking
{{Soups Arab cuisine African soups Bean soups Ancient Egyptian cuisine Egyptian cuisine Moroccan cuisine Palestinian cuisine Moroccan soups Ancient dishes Jewish cuisine