Breakfast time for Palestinians is very important. Breakfast is a powerful meal that must give strength throughout the day
Forget hood and brioche or milk and corn flakes: breakfast in Palestine is another story entirely. First of all it is salt, then it is composed of many dishes based on eggs, cheeses and legumes and it is one of the traditions that Palestinians care most about; perhaps because the Israeli occupation has also arrived in the kitchen, as many dishes of Palestinian origin are now passed off as "traditional Israelis".
Armani NimerawiAn Australian of Palestinian origin, she tells us that once upon a time it wasn't like this: "Meals were always shared because at the beginning we were all Palestinians as inhabitants of Palestine and religion was secondary, it didn't matter if you were Muslim, Christian or Jewish. After the creation of the state of Israel, however, things changed: to support the myth of their country and legitimize its existence, they took Palestinian food and labeled it as Israeli; just the same food that previously belonged to everyone . In reality, these are two kitchens that have points in common, but basically they are different: traditional Jewish cuisine, as well as kosher food, which are two different things and do not coincide, have customs, while Palestine, in how much other state, it has others. Starting from breakfast, where Ful Mudammas never fails.
The Palestinian breakfast
There doesn't have to be a special occasion to have such a breakfast in Palestine. In fact, as anticipated, it is one of the most important meals and moments, to which they are most linked. Let's not forget that the Palestinians are a people of breeders and farmers, used to working in the countryside, both on very cold and very hot days. For this reason, breakfast must be salty and nutritious, in order to give energy throughout the day; and this tradition has remained even for those who no longer work in the countryside. Indeed, it is precisely the youngest ones who care about keeping the customs of the older ones. Always present are the eggs: that they are boiled, soft-boiled, scrambled with tomato and meat, or omelettes with herbs and vegetables; then there is always thereHummus chickpeas, the babaganoush of eggplants and the labneh, a yogurt filtered on cheesecloth (which in this way becomes hard and loses whey), which in the Middle East never fail. All accompanied by various types of bread, such as pita, since it is a must to pucciarla in various sauces. But the king dish of the Palestinian breakfast is the ful mudammas.
What is ful mudammas
The name corresponds to the main ingredient, ful in fact it means Fava beans, while mudammas cooked. It is in fact a cream of dried beans, also widespread in Syria and Lebanon, but almost certainly originating from Ancient Egypt, where you eat very often, almost always for breakfast, just like in Palestine. Always Armani, an expert and passionate about cooking and food and wine culture, who now lives in Ascoli Piceno, reveals that often a sauce, prepared in a mortar with crushed garlic, salt, oil and parsley. Then always above can be added chopped tomatoes or chickpeas, which are a variant not present in the original recipe, but which is often found, perhaps because ful is almost always cooked together with hummus. You can add them on top as a decoration at the end, or blend some of them together with the beans. In this way, Armani jokes, the ful becomes a real "Palestinian cement", since it is even heavier and really blocks the appetite all day long! But shouldn't that be the case, have a very substantial breakfast and then stay lighter during the day?
The recipe of ful mudammas
Here is the original recipe of ful mudammas directly from a Palestinian family, to prepare a super breakfast even at home.
Ingredients
400 g of dried broad beans
2 large cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon cumin
1 lemon
Parsley
Green chilli pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
Chickpeas (to taste)
Method
Leave the beans to soak for a whole night. Then drain them and put them on the fire in a pot with plenty of unsalted water. Continue to cook keeping the beans covered for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary. When the beans are ready, collect them with a slotted spoon and put them in a container. With a fork mash a good part leaving the rest of the whole. Mix everything together. In a bowl mash the garlic with cumin, lemon juice and salt. Add the beans and mix. If it is not very creamy, add the cooking water. Transfer the ful to a plate and sprinkle with parsley, finely chopped chilli pepper and plenty of olive oil. At will you can also add chickpeas or Armani's sauce and then bring to the table together with everything else!
And while you eat it, imagine yourself at that time at the beginning of the coexistence between Arabs and Jews, when being close to each other they brought food to others: the Jews, for example, during Ramadan to avoid them cooking during the day and make sure they have suhur or iftar ready; and the Arabs to try their specialties as a sign of welcome. In fact, it was the kitchen itself that brought together and brought together, before politics, economic and commercial interests destroyed any type of possible coexistence, the one to which man is naturally led.
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