Broad Beans (Dried Fava Beans)

Broad Beans (Dried Fava Beans): Nutrition, History and Complete Cooking Guide

The broad bean or fava bean (Vicia faba) has one of the longest histories of human cultivation of any plant — archaeological evidence places it in the diets of Middle Neolithic peoples in the Near East and Europe, and it was a primary pulse crop across the Mediterranean and the British Isles for thousands of years before other beans arrived from the Americas in the sixteenth century. In Britain, the broad bean was historically the field bean — grown in vast quantities across English farmland — and the "bean pole" and "bean feast" (an annual treat for farmworkers who had helped bring in the bean harvest) survive in the language as relics of its former agricultural importance. The dried fava bean in its mature seed form is quite different from the fresh broad bean enjoyed in British gardens: it has a harder, mealy texture, an earthy flavour, and a thick outer skin that typically requires removing after soaking. Dried fava beans are fundamental to North African and Middle Eastern cooking — ful medames (braised fava beans with lemon, garlic, and olive oil) is the national dish of Egypt and a breakfast staple across the Arab world. In Italy, dried fava beans with chicory is a classic Pugliese preparation. In Spain, they are used in the famous cocido stew.

Nutritional Value of Dried Broad Beans

Dried broad beans provide 341 kcal and 26.1 g of protein per 100 g — among the highest protein content of any pulse — with 58.3 g of carbohydrates, 1.5 g of fat, and 25 g of fibre. When cooked, approximately 110 kcal and 7.6 g protein per 100 g. They provide folate, manganese, copper, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and thiamine in excellent quantities. The fibre at 25 g per 100 g dry is among the highest of any food.

Important Caution — Favism

Individuals with G6PD deficiency (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency — a genetic condition most common in people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian ancestry) can develop haemolytic anaemia after consuming fava beans. This condition, known as favism, can be serious. Those with known G6PD deficiency should avoid fava beans. For everyone else, dried fava beans are nutritionally excellent.

How to Cook Dried Broad Beans

Soak overnight in plenty of water. Drain, add fresh water, and simmer for thirty to sixty minutes until tender. Remove the tough outer skin from each bean by squeezing — it slips off easily once cooked. For ful medames: simmer soaked fava beans until very soft, mash partially, dress generously with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and chopped fresh herbs. Serve with warm bread for a classic Egyptian breakfast or lunch. For a Pugliese purée: cook until completely tender, blend smooth with olive oil and salt, serve with braised bitter greens (cicoria or rapini).