"Exports of UK beans continue apace as the demand for quality British beans from the Egyptian market continues," says Ian Skinn, Gleadell’s pulses trader. "We have just loaded our third shipment since Christmas bound for Egypt - and we have further consignments on the books."
"The reason for this good demand for our beans is that they are the essential part of the traditional Egyptian breakfast," he explains. "They call the dish ’Ful medames’ from the Egyptian word ’ful’ for fava beans, and the word ’medames’ meaning buried. This hints at the original cooking method, which involved burying a sealed pot of water and beans under hot coals, a cooking method that has been used in the Middle East at least since the 4th century."
"The Egyptians like our beans, so this is good news for UK bean growers, giving a strong market that underpins our quality bean crops," Mr Skinn adds.
