Number 1 Food in Sudan: Foul!

The national dish of Sudan is arguably foul.

Foul, romanized as foul but actually pronounced fool, is a lightly mashed bean dish garnished with olive oil and cheese. And let me tell you, Foul is delicious. It is also incredibly cheap, making it a tremendously cost effective meal for the runaway adventurer and budget backpacker.

Although it is cheap, it is not reserved solely for the poor.  Even the Land Rover and Mercedes driving elite need their fix too. So, it is not uncommon to see a suited man step out of his Mercedes to join his brothers and eat using his hands from a communal Foul bowl. Foul is not only cheap and delicious but it is a unifying force in Sudan. It bridges the gap between the rich and the poor and provides a medium to strengthen a sense of brotherhood, one of the primary features of Islam.

If you’re in Sudan and in search of food, feel free to join in on the Foul pot.

Basically, what I am trying to say is,

Don’t be a fool, eat Foul!

For those of you who want to make Foul at home, below is a recipe that serves 4:

1)    Boil one can cooked Fava beans for 1 to 2 hours.

2)    Then add 1 large tomato, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon of cumin, ½ tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ cup parsley, a bit of lemon/lime juice, a bit of red chilli peper, some salt and some pepper.

3)    Then put it foul pot, gather 3 of your closest foul friends, arm your selves with pita bread and dig in.

You would be a fool not to.

I know the foul pun is pretty lame but I couldn’t help myself :)