General

It's name originated from the Latin "favus", which means broad bean. Originally, this dish was made using the broad bean, and that much later on, the broad bean was replaced with an easier version, the yellow shelled lentil.

Particularly tasty, is the fava of Santorini, used by the locals in the same way Italians use pasta. This is a very basic food which is served is different ways, depending on the time of year.
Summer fava is made with red sauce capers and is named 'married'. Winter fava is sauted with fried smoked pork.

The Santorini fava is the best because of the volcanic terrain of the island. Little humidity and arid terrain don't allow many vegetables to grown in these parts. But the few vegetables that do grow, have a very intense taste. It's colour is dark yellow, and it takes several hours to cook, to achieve a creamy texture.