Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Middle Eastern Snacks 101: Green Fava Beans فول أخضر



Green Fava Beans
I am not much of a snacker. I am the kind of girl who likes to eat all my meal from appetizers to desserts in one sitting. I dont like to snack during the day. If I feel the need to eat something between meals, I either gulp down some more plain water or drink some herbal tea. However, I have a weakness to few Middle Eastern snacks. The snacks that grow on trees and are limited to a specific season. I will be writing a series about my favorite Middle Eastern snacks.
Today, we will cover green fava beans. Raw that is. It is called in the Middle East Fool Akhdar فول أخضر. Move aside Edamame, raw green beans are definitely my choice for a healthy snack. Do people eat them in the US? I dont know, I dont see them being sold in Supermarkets but I saw them last week sold at the farmer's market. I usually go to Middle Eastern Markets to buy them just around this time. End of April to May. I also am blessed with in-laws who grow their own produce and are always thinking of us. Remember last year when I cooked Green Fava Beans and Rice? here is the Recipe
Shelling the green fava beans
In the Middle East, when you visit someone in the season of Fava Beans, you expect to find a big bowl of green fava beans on the table while your host/ess is preparing the Arabic coffee or tea. Seasonal produce make their magical appearance in every household, everybody will be making fava beans and rice and snacking on green fava beans. Fava beans in every way. Salads, main dishes, snacks. A very simple way to eat green fava beans is simply by shelling them. It is like hard work pays off, you are working for your snack. Now, you have the option of peeling the skin or not. 
Fava beans are awesome, however, when we were kids, our parents used to say that boys should not eat too much green fava beans from fear of Favism (yes, this is a real word). I have linked to a page that discusses it, and it seems that people (boys and girls) of Kurdish ancestry should be careful.  Luckily, I am not allergic to green fava beans.  I will enjoy my beans because they are delicious, excellent source of protein, fiber and folates among other health benefits.

Green Fava Beans and Rice Recipe here

1 comment:

  1. delecious with limon ,salt and some cumin

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