Are chickpeas allowed in the Tayyibat system? Lentils, fava beans and the other legumes

Short answer

No. In the Tayyibat system, chickpeas are set aside, just like lentils and fava beans. All three appear in the site's official list of 122 foods with the status "set aside": Dr Diaa Al-Awadi places them on the khabith side ("set aside" in the system's vocabulary, as opposed to tayyib, "kept"). The list sets no preparation condition that would make them acceptable, unlike whole barley or cooked eggplant, for example. The details of the status are on the chickpeas page.

Legumes and nearby foods, one by one

The table gathers every legume and nearby food the site mentions, with its status. Rows marked "official list" come from the list of 122 foods. The four other legumes are cited as set aside in the site's texts but do not appear in that list: for them, the source is the text, not the list.

Almonds and pine nuts are set aside too, and the site's texts cite them in the same lists as the legumes. Sunflower seeds are also set aside in the official list. Tahini is the exception: it is kept, but hummus stays set aside because of the chickpeas.

The everyday dishes concerned

Hummus is made of chickpeas, so it is set aside, and the site adds that it would be anyway because of the garlic. Falafel follows, with no substitute offered. Foul medames combines fava beans, garlic and cumin, three foods that are set aside: the whole dish leaves the system, and the article on foul covers the case. Kushari loses its lentils and chickpeas, and according to the site's texts the dish does not survive the system. Chorba with chickpeas or vermicelli is in the same position, both being set aside. Classic couscous, finally, brings together fine refined semolina and chickpeas, two elements outside the system. Even lentil soup, common on Ramadan menus, is on the list of what to avoid.

What stays on the plate

The sources do not give a single replacement: they show what the list keeps. Kept grains are rice, freekeh, bulgur, whole barley (a rare dish), corn, whole bread and whole wheat couscous (whole semolina only, occasional dish). Among vegetables, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin and taro are kept. For protein, the list keeps lamb as the priority, then goat, beef, wild sea fish and aged cheeses such as akawi. For chorba, the site suggests taking freekeh as the grain and removing the chickpeas: the result is a hearty soup that keeps the spirit of the original. For couscous, the Tayyibat couscous with freekeh keeps the shape of the dish. At suhur, according to the site, aged cheese replaces the protein the fava beans brought. In every case the ritual and the family table stay: only the legume leaves.

Where Tayyibat departs most from the Mediterranean diet

This is one of the sharpest breaks. The Mediterranean diet makes legumes a central pillar, eaten several times a week (lentil soup, hummus, simmered white beans), and vegan diets treat them as a daily pillar. Tayyibat shares with the Mediterranean diet olive oil, fish, herbs and the family meal, but sets aside lentils, chickpeas and fava beans. The full comparison details the gaps, and acknowledges that anyone unwilling to give up lentil soup or hummus will find their path on the Mediterranean side. Why are these legumes set aside? The system classes them on the khabith side, and the site's texts put forward digestive difficulty. This article describes a classification, it does not make a medical judgment. To see how the system is organised day to day, you can receive the free excerpt of the guide: you just leave your email address.

Frequently asked questions

Are lentils allowed in Tayyibat? No, lentils are set aside in the official list, like chickpeas and fava beans. Is hummus allowed? No: it is made of chickpeas, which are set aside, and the garlic it usually contains is set aside too. Tahini, on its own, is kept in the list, but that does not bring the dish back. Are white beans, peanuts or soy in the official list? No, none of the three appears among the 122 foods. The site's texts cite them as set aside, and this article reports that without going further.