What is Ful Medames Spice Mix?
Ful medames is Egypt's national breakfast: small fava beans simmered for hours in a tall pot until tender, then dressed with oil, lemon and cumin. In the Levant it appears as ful with tahini or Aleppo-style ful; in Iraq it is bagilla, eaten with bread and ghee in the morning; in the Gulf it comes with tomatoes and spices. Ful Medames Spice Mix is formulated to be added during cooking or at the table, bringing warmth and fragrance that cut through the starchy taste of the beans. Professional ful sellers depend on it as much as households do. Cumin is its undisputed king, supported by coriander, black pepper, black lime and garlic.
Composition and the role of each ingredient
The blend is dominated by ground cumin, which eases the digestion of pulses and defines the traditional flavour, followed by dried coriander for warm aroma, black pepper for gentle heat, black lime (loomi) for a dry sourness that brightens the dish, and dried garlic, with a pinch of chilli, sweet paprika and, in some versions, a little fenugreek and dried mint. The Levantine version raises the mint and lowers the chilli; the Iraqi bagilla version keeps to cumin and black lime, sometimes with turmeric; the Alexandrian version turns up the heat with chilli and garlic. Proportions here are general and approximate; our own formula is confidential.
| Variant | Character | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Egyptian blend | Cumin dominant, coriander and black lime, light heat | Ful with oil and lemon, ful with eggs |
| Hot Alexandrian style | Chilli, garlic and strong cumin | Alexandrian ful with tomato and green pepper |
| Levantine mint style | Moderate cumin, dried mint, lemon | Ful with tahini, Aleppo ful, Iraqi bagilla |
What makes a good blend
Good cumin is the test. Look for a blend that smells of fresh, pungent cumin rather than the flat, dusty note of old stock, ideally Egyptian cumin from the high-oil varieties of Upper Egypt and Fayoum (good cumin seed typically carries 1.5–3% volatile oil before grinding under the Codex standard for cumin). A good blend has no added salt as filler, no starch, bran or colourants, a uniform grind and a greenish-brown colour rather than a bright yellow. Seasoning mixes are held to limits on moisture (around 10% maximum for ground blends), total ash (8–10%) and acid-insoluble ash (up to 1.5–2%, a check for sand), plus the cleanliness requirements of the ASTA and ESA specifications and the aflatoxin limits of Codex and the Egyptian Standards for spices. These are typical ranges.
How to use it
- Soak one kilogram of small fava beans for 8–12 hours and wash thoroughly.
- Place in a tall pot or heavy saucepan with water three fingers above the beans, one tomato, one onion and a pinch of the blend.
- Cook on the lowest heat for 6–8 hours (60–90 minutes in a pressure cooker) until the beans are tender and the liquid thick.
- To serve, mash lightly and add one teaspoon (about 3 g) of Ful Medames Spice Mix per 500 g of cooked beans, with salt, lemon and olive oil or chilli oil.
- Garnish with tomato, parsley and spring onion and serve with baladi bread and ta'ameya.
Guide dosage: 5–6 g per kilogram of cooked beans. Other uses: Egyptian besara, lentil soup, hummus with tahini and Iraqi lablabi, and spicy chickpea salad.
Storage and shelf life
Keep the blend tightly closed in a cool, dry place away from kitchen steam, because ground cumin loses its volatile oil quickly when exposed to air and heat. Typical shelf life is 12 months sealed; use within 3 months of opening for the best aroma. Cooked ful keeps 3 days in the fridge and freezes for a month.
The Sheikh Al-Attareen range
- Ful Medames Spice Mix
Our blend relies on cumin and coriander from the fields of Upper Egypt and Fayoum, tested in our Mansoura laboratory for moisture, volatile oil and cleanliness, and black lime selected from Gulf and Iraqi sources. It is ground and packed fresh in small batches and available at our branches in Egypt, Iraq and Syria and through our online store.
FAQ
Should I add the spices during cooking or at the table?
A light pinch during cooking lets the flavour penetrate, and the main dose at serving keeps the fresh cumin aroma.
Is the blend hot?
Only mildly, to suit a daily breakfast. Raise the heat with chilli or chilli oil for Alexandrian-style ful.
Does it work for Levantine ful and Iraqi bagilla?
Yes. Add dried mint and tahini for a Levantine character, and ghee and turmeric for an Iraqi one.
Does the blend contain salt?
No. There is no added salt, so you set the seasoning according to taste and health needs.