Bissara

Lore & Background

Food historians believe the name Bissara originates from the Sahidic Coptic word pisouro, meaning 'cooked beans.' According to historian Daniel Newman, a 13th-century cookbook from al-Andalus contains the oldest known recipe for baysār, the ancestor to bissara, which was a porridge made with dried broad beans and meat. In ancient Jewish cuisine, a similar dish known as 'mikpah ful' in rabbinic literature was commonly consumed.

Reader's Guide

Bissara holds significance as a traditional dish spanning North Africa and the Levant, with roots traced to a 13th-century Andalusian cookbook. In Egypt, it is eaten exclusively as a dip for bread, often served for breakfast or as a meze, and is traditionally a rural farmer's dish that became more popular in urban Egypt after 2011 due to being healthier than ful medames. In Morocco, it is popular during colder months, served in shallow bowls topped with olive oil, paprika, and cumin. The dish has spread from Egypt to the Levant, where Palestinians make it with fava beans and molokhiya. Tova Dickstein linked the ancient Jewish dish mikpah ful to modern bissara, describing it as a dip of fava beans, garlic, mint, and olive oil, and referred to it as the 'national dish' of the ancient Israelites due to its frequent mention in the Mishnah.

Did You Know?

• The name Bissara likely comes from the Sahidic Coptic word pisouro, meaning 'cooked beans.'
• The oldest known recipe for its ancestor, baysār, appears in a 13th-century cookbook from al-Andalus.
• In Egypt, bissara is traditionally a rural farmer's dish and became more popular in urban areas after 2011.