North Africa · Soup
Bissara (Fava Bean Soup with Cumin and Olive Oil)
A velvety northern Moroccan soup of dried split fava beans pureed with garlic, cumin, and generous streams of cold-pressed olive oil.
The story
Originating in the rugged Jbala and Rif mountain ranges of northern Morocco, bissara serves as the quintessential winter fuel and market breakfast. Market stalls ladle it steaming into unglazed earthenware bowls at daybreak, crowned with liberal rivers of cold-pressed virgin olive oil and pungent wild cumin. Historically, northern cooks skim the froth meticulously during the first rolling boil rather than stirring it in, eliminating bitter tannins and guaranteeing a clean, sweet bean purée.
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