Welcome Jamzicov

We really need to know where you are so that we can advise you properly!

Bigilla is a traditional Maltese snack, made out of beans. The main ingredient of bigilla is a special type of broad beans known in Malta as "ful tal-Ġirba", but you can use the similar Egyptian ful, or indeed almost any type of broad bean

Fava Beans are also known as broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bea or tic bean, they are also known as lima bean; or  madagascar beans. In Egypt they are also called ful beans in Greece they are known as gigantes. When dried, Fava beans are often called butterbeans

Here is more information about Fava beans than you probably really wanted to know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba
http://www.fava-beans.com/

Fava beans are generally available throughout the world, and are normally stocked wherever you can buy dried pulses such as lentils, split peas, haricot beans, kidney beans etc.

I am absolutely certain that you will be able to find fava beans within a short distance of wherever you live - you just have to know where to buy them. If you would tell us your location, we can probably point you to the shop or type of shop where they will be available and if there is a supermarket in your area then you will find them with the rest of the dried beans, lentils and peas.

They really are very common, but f desperate for a bigilla, you can also use Chickpeas, Cannellini Beans, Soybens and navy beans - though the taste differs a little.

Hope I've been able to point you in the right direction, but if you are still unabe to find them, please post again with your location so we                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 can giveyou moreclues about what to look for and where to look for them.

Last edited by GeoffP (Fri 07 Nov 08 3:32am)

Ah, if ou had mentioned birmingham, the answer wuld havee been much simpler.
Every Supemarket stocks butter beans (dried broad beans / Fava beans). Birmingham has several Halal saupermarkets - they'll usually stock them. Just look on the dried goods shelves, wth the rest of dried beans, lentils etc. -     should be very easy to find.

I came across your forum during a google search for dried broad beans.  I'm getting more and ore confused.  Are fava beans the same as judion beans?  I can't find dried broad beans in my local health shops.  I recently bought some judion beans in the Borough Market in London which were eye wateringly expensive.  Also are fava beans butter or broad beans?  Are they the same or different?  I live in Halifax, so should have reasonable access to Indian foods.  Middle Eastern is more difficult.

Thanks Clarissa - all the names I gave, including Gigantes, are of varieties of Fava or Broad beans - Gigantes are the largest, of the dried broad beans - but there are not of a different species - all are within the species "Vicia faba" they are just different varieties.

Hi Jamzicov, pitty you re far away. I've about 5 Kg of fava beans in my freezer and have no idea when Im gonna cook them cause my wife hates it...
Would be happy to give you some, if not all.

Well not all cause I love fava beans