Eat like an Egyptian

Egypt is not a country you go for exploring the local cuisine. However, in a country which has a 5,000 year strong recorded history, there are bound to be some traditional gems. Egyptians are gentle and fun loving people; their sense of humor is all pervasive, yet subtle and genuine. Not very different from the food they eat – mellow in spices but rich in taste and texture.

We explored all parts of Egypt insisting with our travel guides to take us to local restaurants, and to make us ‘Eat like an Egyptian’, but the food rarely changed from region to region. We weren't overwhelmed with their food, but wanted to talk about a few highlights from our experience.

Breakfast Delight - Falafel sandwich with various local yoghurts

Breads

Out travel guide told us that Egyptians have around 200 methods and recipes for baking. Not surprising, given that they have been doing so for thousands of years. And they do it totally kick ass! It could be their recipes, or maybe it is the dry weather, but we haven’t had better baked breads anywhere in the world. What delighted us was the consistency across restaurants. They were all fluffy, perfectly baked – crispy on the outside but soft inside, and did not harden over time as much as they usually do elsewhere. The epitome of their baking skill is the pie. Enormous, full of flavors, and simply delightful.

The staple Pita bread

Preparing the Chicken Pie

Rolled up and ready to be baked

Koshary

Although Egyptian cuisine has a number of similarities with the general Lebanese or Mediterranean cuisine, their very own trademark dish is the Koshary. It is an assortment of mini-macaronis, black pulse, a fresh tomato relish, some boiled rice, and fried onions on top. If one is a vegetarian travelling in Egypt, this can be a staple diet. It is served with a chilli sauce which can be used to spicen up its mellow flavor.

Falafel

We have had falafels all over India and in the US too, but the ones found here were a different breed all together. Made with broad beans, not the usual chick-peas, these are ‘no one can eat just one’ stuff. We literally had it in every single breakfast accompanied with the local tahina (similar to Hummus) and assorted over a pita bread. This one famous chain called ‘Gad’ (Probably after the way they pronounce GOD) even served stuffed falafels. We loved the ones stuffed with pickled olives. 

Other Noteworthy Stuff

Shwarma in a Baguette

Platter - Babaganoush(eggplant dip) on left, falafels, pita bread, and tahina

Turkish Coffee