Fava Is Not a Bean--Trust Me

In the Greek Heritage Kitchen, Fava is a dip, but it can also be a soup. It's true. While a tad confusing, Fava is a Fava-bulous dip, creamy and savory and a teeny bit sweet, which is why I don't add too much salt to my recipe. 

Fava dip is a simpler alternative to hummus.

A beautiful summer setting on the island of Kefalonia where you might eat your Fava

Traditionally, Fava is served with sliced red onion and a generous drizzle of good olive oil on top. Forget about hummus, try Fava and see which one you prefer. As with hummus, serve it warm or at room temperature with crusty bread slices or Pita. A few olives and Feta cheese on the side, then all that you'll be missing is a glass of Retsina and a beautiful seaside view of the Aegean or the Ionian...or the Mediterranean.

As I said earlier, Fava can also be a soup, but we'll save that for another day. The ingredients are few and basic, in fact, you may have most of them in your kitchen pantry already. For a printable recipe, click here.

How Easy is it? Fava, the dip, is made with yellow split peas (yes, legumes), water, onion, salt and pepper. It's pureed and thinned out with more water, lemon juice and olive oil. It may take around an hour to prepare, but most of that time is spent on cooking the split peas, and I'd sooner pick a little extra cooking time over sourcing ingredients for hummus. Fava is so easy to pull together that you'll wonder, sweetness, where have you been all my life?

Easy Customization. This dip, or spread, depending on your preference for one over the other, is also easily customized. Take a look in your refrigerator and pantry. 

Customized for dinner with a generous topping of Chopped Greek Salad & Keftethes

• Toast a few pine nuts or a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds to sprinkle on top.
• Sautee that last bit of chard or spinach and spread it on the edge of your serving bowl or platter.
• Make my Chopped Greek Salad to serve on the side.
• How about the keftethes that I will teach you to prep ahead and keep in the freezer for such a moment. Look for future posts.
• Grilled octopus or tail-on-shrimp would be a great complement to the sweet and creamy qualities of the fava.
• Roasted vegetables topped with fava would make an excellent lunch.
• And let's not forget a simple burger. Top it with a generous spoonful of fava and then with some of the Chopped Greek Salad and you won't need a bun!

For more information about legumes than you'll ever need, click here. And, by the way, what we call a Fava bean is a legume also.