Notes from my time writing “ The Labyrinth’s Archivist ” and fun tidbits.

I wanted the world in the Labyrinth’s Archivist to mirror parts of Middle Eastern culture. I wanted it to have the sounds and smells that are almost but not quite the same as a souq in Egypt, Syria, or Yemen. One of the most powerful identifiers of any culture or community is its food.

One of the dishes that I included in the book is ful, or ful mudammas (spelling may vary slightly). The protagonist, Azulea, has it for breakfast. Ful is pretty common across the Middle East. Fava beans are everywhere, the only difference in the dish is usually what is added and/or the ratios of the ingredients. Fava beans cooked in olive oil with cumin and garlic and lemon juice. Sometimes with parsley and onion, or tahini, or tomato. There are quite a few regional variations.

The image below shows a ful breakfast dish. Although I’ve seen it much more commonly mashed up into a porridge. This seems to be a bit fancier version.

This version is most similar to the breakfast porridge that is common in Egypt and is closest to what Azulea eats in the book.

I had to include one last version. This ful below is the one I’m most familiar with. It is with the beans pureed and mixed with tahini, olive oil, and red pepper paste. More of a dip rather than a stew. A lot of recipes online refer to it as “Aleppo-style”.

Oh, and I found a recipe! For those daring souls interested in trying it out themselves:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ful-medammes