Bigilla

Ingredients

Beans

• 400 gdried ful ta’ Ġirba (Maltese broad beans) or dried broad beans, soaked overnight
• 1bay leaf
• water, to cover

To finish

• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1large bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 tbspchopped fresh marjoram
• 120 mlolive oil
• 2 tbspwhite wine vinegar
• 1 tspchilli flakes, or 2 fresh chillies minced
• 1½ tsp salt
• black pepper

To serve

• galletti (Maltese water crackers)
• extra olive oil and parsley

Directions

1. Drain the soaked beans, cover generously with fresh water, add the bay leaf and simmer 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 30 min until completely soft and beginning to fall apart. Do not salt the water; salt slows the softening of dried beans considerably.
2. Drain, keeping a cupful of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay.
3. Mash the beans coarsely by hand while still warm, adding a little cooking liquid until it is thick and spreadable but still visibly textured. Bigilla is mashed, not puréed — a blender gives hummus, which is a different dip.
4. Work in the garlic, parsley, marjoram, chilli and salt.
5. Beat in the olive oil a little at a time, then the vinegar, tasting as you go. It should be garlicky, herby and sharp.
6. Rest at least 30 minutes before serving so the raw garlic mellows into the beans.
7. Serve at room temperature in a shallow bowl with a well of olive oil in the middle, more parsley over the top, and galletti to scoop it up.
8. It keeps four days refrigerated and is better on the second day. Bring it back to room temperature before serving, since it stiffens when cold.

Technique

• Mash by hand. The texture is the difference between bigilla and a smooth bean purée.
• No salt in the cooking water. Beans salted early can stay stubbornly firm however long you boil them.
• The traditional Maltese bean is a small brown broad bean cooked in its skin, which gives the characteristic dark colour.

Substitutions

• Tinned broad beans, drained, for a quick version — softer and paler but workable.
• Dried fava beans from any Mediterranean grocer.

Variations

• A hotter version with considerably more chilli, sold in Maltese bars.
• Bigilla with a spoonful of kunserva (tomato paste) worked through.

History

Made from the ful ta’ Ġirba bean grown on the islands; hawkers sold it as a cheap street food in Valletta into the twentieth century.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bigilla?

Bigilla is a sauce & condiment from Malta: garlicky mashed broad-bean dip eaten with galletti crackers. Made from the ful ta’ Ġirba bean grown on the islands; hawkers sold it as a cheap street food in Valletta into the twentieth century.

How long does Bigilla take to make?

Bigilla takes 15 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 500 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bigilla?

Yes, within limits. Tinned broad beans, drained, for a quick version — softer and paler but workable. Dried fava beans from any Mediterranean grocer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bigilla?

Drain the soaked beans, cover generously with fresh water, add the bay leaf and simmer 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 30 min until completely soft and beginning to fall apart. Do not salt the water; salt slows the softening of dried beans considerably.