Bissara

Ingredients

The pot

• 400 gdried split fava beans, peeled, soaked overnight
• 1.2 litreswater
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspsweet paprika

To finish

• 80 mlgood olive oil
• 1 tspground cumin, extra
• 1 tsppaprika
• chilli flakes
• juice of ½ lemon (optional)

To serve

• khobz or crusty bread

Directions

1. Drain the soaked beans and rinse them. Use peeled split favas — unpeeled ones will not break down smoothly however long you cook them, and the skins stay as tough flecks.
2. Simmer the beans with the water, whole garlic cloves and salt for 1 hour to 1 hr 15 min, skimming the foam in the first ten minutes, until they collapse completely.
3. Blend until absolutely smooth, adding hot water to reach the consistency you want. Bissara sits somewhere between a thick soup and a dip, and it thickens noticeably as it cools, so keep it looser than seems right.
4. Return to the pot, stir in the cumin and paprika and warm through. Taste for salt.
5. Ladle into bowls and make a well in the centre of each.
6. Pour a generous pool of olive oil into each well — this is not a garnish and the quantity should feel excessive. Dust heavily with cumin, paprika and chilli.
7. Serve very hot with bread for dipping. A winter breakfast and street food in Morocco, sold from stalls in Fez and Chefchaouen on cold mornings.

Technique

• Peeled split favas, not whole dried broad beans. This is the one ingredient decision that matters.
• The olive oil is a main ingredient. Use good oil and use plenty.
• It sets almost solid in the fridge; loosen with hot water when reheating.

Substitutions

• Dried split peas make a similar soup, though sweeter and less earthy.
• A knob of butter stirred in at the end, which some households prefer to oil.

Variations

• A thicker version served as a dip rather than a soup.
• Bessara with a spoonful of harissa stirred through.

History

A thick, smooth soup made from dried fava beans or split peas, seasoned generously with olive oil, cumin and garlic, documented across Morocco for many generations as both an everyday winter comfort food and a common breakfast dish, particularly popular in colder months and mountainous regions. Its simple, inexpensive ingredient list, relying primarily on dried legumes long stored and available even outside the growing season, reflects a broader North African tradition of building substantial, warming meals from affordable pantry staples during colder weather. Bissara remains a common, everyday dish across Morocco, particularly associated with breakfast and casual, inexpensive street-side eating.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bissara?

Bissara is a soup & stew from Morocco: silky dried fava bean soup with olive oil, garlic and cumin; winter warmer. A thick, smooth soup made from dried fava beans or split peas, seasoned generously with olive oil, cumin and garlic, documented across Morocco for many generations as both an everyday winter comfort food and a common breakfast dish, particularly popular in colder months and mountainous regions. Its simple, inexpensive ingredient list, relying primarily on dried legumes long stored and available even outside the growing season, reflects a broader North African tradition of building substantial, warming meals from affordable pantry staples during colder weather. Bissara remains a common, everyday dish across Morocco, particularly associated with breakfast and casual, inexpensive street-side eating.

How long does Bissara take to make?

Bissara takes 10 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bissara?

Yes, within limits. Dried split peas make a similar soup, though sweeter and less earthy. A knob of butter stirred in at the end, which some households prefer to oil.