Bissara — Moroccan Split Fava Bean Purée with Cumin Oil

Middle Eastern Fast With Oil Published June 13, 2026

Bissara is breakfast for working people across northern Morocco — a thick, velvety purée of dried split fava beans, smoothed with olive oil and lit up with cumin, garlic, and a hit of paprika and chili at the table. It eats like a cross between hummus and a hot soup, scooped with bread and slicked with a swirl of cumin-spiced oil. Fava beans are dense with protein and the purée is genuinely filling — a bowl of this will carry you through a morning of work or a long liturgy.

On strict no-oil days, the purée still works beautifully: cook the favas down to silk and finish with extra lemon and a dusting of cumin instead of the oil swirl. The bean does the heavy lifting either way.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (adaptable for strict days — see notes)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 1 hour (plus soaking)

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups (350g) dried split fava beans (peeled), soaked overnight and drained
- 6 cups (1.5 litres) water
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin, plus more to finish
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (omit for strict days)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Aleppo pepper
- Warm flatbread, to serve

METHOD

1. Put the soaked, drained favas in a large pot with the water and whole garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam.

2. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially, and cook for 45-55 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the favas have completely collapsed into a loose, thick purée. Add a little hot water if it gets too dry.

3. Stir in the cumin and salt. Using an immersion blender (or a whisk and some vigour), blend the purée until smooth. It should be thick but pourable, like a loose porridge.

4. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and cumin.

5. Ladle into bowls. If using oil: warm the olive oil with the paprika and cayenne in a small pan for 30 seconds until fragrant, then swirl it over each bowl. (For strict days: skip the oil and dust each bowl with extra cumin and paprika and an extra squeeze of lemon.)

6. Serve hot with warm flatbread for scooping.

NOTES

- Split peeled fava beans cook down fastest. If you only have whole dried favas, peel after soaking and extend the cook time by 20-30 minutes.
- For a thinner, soup-style bissara, add more water at the end; for a dip-style bissara to scoop cold, cook it down further and chill.
- On fish days, this makes a fine side to grilled fish — no changes needed.
- Yellow split peas can stand in for favas in a pinch, though the flavour is milder.