Rabat – Morocco is notorious for its dried fava bean soup known as bessara. Across the MENA region, several variations of the fava bean soup can be found, although the Moroccan bessara is especially unique. 

Bessara is known as an ‘anytime’ soup as it can be consumed year round, 24/7. Although many Moroccans prefer to drink bessara on a cold winter day, many Moroccans enjoy the dish for breakfast on a hot summer morning. 

The dish is extremely simple as it only features a few main ingredients: water, split fava beans, spices, garlic, and olive oil. 

As the saying goes, good things take time. Despite the dish’s simplicity, bessara takes around an hour to prepare as you must cook down the beans and garlic cloves in boiling water before moving to a food processor to puree. 

Once the beans are soft enough to mash by hand, a quick blend and mixing of spices in a food processor will leave you with a delicious, taupe soup. 

When preparing the dish, you have complete freedom over how much spices and oil you wish to add. Morocco is known for its rich, delicious olive oil. If you are unable to make the dish in Morocco, go to your local supermarket and purchase the finest olive oil you can as it will make all the difference.

The amount of water you use is also very important as it will dictate the thickness of the soup.

When served in a local shop, the vendors will finish off the soup with a dusting of spices such as cumin, paprika, and a fresh garlic paste. 

In Egypt, a similar dish is used exclusively as a dip for bread. However, bessara in Morocco is a stand-alone meal and will leave you full for hours. Not to mention, the dish is extremely nutritional. Many Moroccans also add pieces of bread to the soup directly, waiting for them to become soggy and soaked with the rich, creamy soup.

A standard serving of the soup will yield about 400 calories and is chock-full of macro and micronutrients. Prepare to load up on carbohydrates when eating bessara as a standard dish can have around 50 grams of carbs. At just 13 grams of fat and around 20 grams of protein, the soup will leave you satisfied without a bloated feeling.

Traditionally, the dish should be prepared in a large, 35 liter cooking pot. Since the dish is relatively simple and cheap to make, it is readily available to all, regardless of socio-economic status. 

Whether you prepare the soup yourself or visit a traditional Moroccan storefront selling bessara, you will definitely not regret it!