LONDON: Ful, a dish made of cooked fava beans, is proving to be the dish of choice for fasting Muslims during Ramadan in the Saudi Arabian city of Madinah.
The dish, which is an everyday food across the Arab World, is one of the most popular dishes served in Madinah at Iftar, the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset, and suhoor, the pre-dawn meal.
Ful’s popularity stems from its excellent nutritional value, delicious taste, attractive aroma, and the fact that it is considered to be a very filling food rich in protein.
Iftar in Madinah is not complete without ful and the city’s ful vendors are extremely busy just before sunset with people wanting to buy the freshly prepared dish.
There are two ways of preparing ful in Madinah, one is made of hand-crushed fava beans and the other is prepared with the whole bean.
The preparation of ful varies from region to region in the Arab world. Lebanese foul overflows with the flavours of lemon, olive oil and garlic whilst Egyptian ful is made with olive oil, parsley, cumin and tahini.
Ful — the dish of choice for iftar and suhoor in Madinah
Ful — the dish of choice for iftar and suhoor in Madinah
Where We Are Going Today: Savory cinnamon rolls at Darcin
- The labneh zaatar roll was also a great choice, similar to a manakeesh with its creamy and aromatic flavor
Have you ever had a savory cinnamon bun? Neither had we, but Darcin has changed the game. As their slogan says, it’s “not your ordinary spice — it’s cinnamon with attitude.”
The self-proclaimed “Home of the Cinnamon Roll” is in Riyadh’s Al-Rayyan district. It invites you to its outdoor seating area through a wall of natural greenery, equipped with heating lamps that make it the perfect spot to spend a cozy winter night reading a book or catching up with friends.
We started off with the halloumi pesto roll, which was savory, indulgent and vibrant with creamy basil flavors. The bun itself was extremely soft, almost like a Japanese milk bun, and the halloumi was well cooked and topped with sundried tomatoes.
The labneh zaatar roll was also a great choice, similar to a manakeesh with its creamy and aromatic flavor.
We capped our meal by indulging our sweet tooth; there are a decent number of options, ranging from a mixed berry cheesecake and pistachio kinafeh to halawa or a creamy tiramisu. It was tough to pick from all the mouthwatering cinnamon rolls on offer, but we settled on the maple pecan, which was great if you’re not looking for something too intensely sweet.
The coffee was also great, and the venue was quite busy for a weekend evening, with all the outdoor seating occupied at some point.
One thing to note is that we didn’t get the best service when we were there. The staff were not especially helpful in providing recommendations, oddly telling us they had no savory options until we proved otherwise by pointing at the menu.
Regardless, it’s a lovely place to visit if you are seeking new places to hang out in Riyadh or want to grab a treat to take home. They have a selection of sharing boxes that would be great for a night in or a large gathering.
