Foul (ful medames)
Photo: Habib M'henni · CC BY-SA 3.0

Foul is slow-cooked fava beans mashed with oil and spices, eaten with bread; in United Arab Emirates we have verified places to eat it in Abu Dhabi. Start with where to eat Foul (ful medames) in Abu Dhabi.

Foul (ful medames) · Abu Dhabi

Foul is slow-cooked fava beans mashed with oil and spices, eaten with bread. In Abu Dhabi, a Sudanese cafeteria in Al Zahiyah opens in the evening for it.

Ful medames is a stew of cooked fava beans served with olive oil and cumin, and its place of origin is Egypt. Some writers trace it to ancient Egypt, and it is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud, so the dish is old in the Middle East. It spread across the Arab world and Africa, reaching Sudan among many other countries. In Abu Dhabi, Abu Al Afwal has served Sudanese food in Al Zahiyah since 1975, and FACT magazine singles out its ful medames. Khaleej Times said diners scooped the creamy foul with bread on a 2025 food walk.

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