Egyptian cuisine consists of the local culinary traditions of Egypt. Egyptian cuisine makes heavy use of legumes and vegetables, as Egypt’s rich Nile Valley and Delta produce large quantities of high-quality crops.
History and characteristics
Egyptian cuisine’s history goes back to Ancient Egypt. Archaeological excavations have found that workers on the Great Pyramids of Giza were paid in bread, beer, and onions, apparently their customary diet as peasants in the Egyptian countryside. Dental analysis of the mummified bodies of these workers seems to indicate that the bread was chewy and coarse but hearty, rather like the bread of modern Egypt; the occasional desiccated loaves found in tombs confirm this, in addition to indicating that ancient Egyptian bread was made with flour from emmer wheat. Though beer disappeared as a mainstay of Egyptian life following the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the year 654, onions remain the primary vegetable for flavoring and nutrition in Egyptian food. Beans were also a primary source of protein for the mass of the Egyptian populace, as they remain today.
Egyption fish Egyptian cuisine is notably conducive to vegetarian- and vegan diets, as it relies so heavily on vegetable dishes. Though food in Alexandria and the coasts of Egypt tends to use a great deal of fish and other seafood, for the most part Egyptian cuisine is based on foods that grow out of the ground.
Dishes
Egyptian cuisine is characterized by dishes such as Ful Medames, Kushari, rice-stuffed pigeon, Mulukhiyya with rabbit, and Feteer Meshaltet, while sharing similarities with food found throughout the Eastern Mediterranean like rice-stuffed vegetables or grape leaves, Shawerma, Kebab, Falafel, Baba Ghannoug, and Baqlawa.
Bread forms the backbone of Egyptian cuisine. Bread is consumed at almost all Egyptian meals; a working-class or rural Egyptian meal might consist of little more than bread and beans. The local bread is a form of hearty, thick, glutenous pita bread called Eish Masri or Eish Baladi rather than the Standard Arabic khubz. The word “Eish” comes from the verb “ʿāš, yuiʿīš” meaning “to live” indicating the centrality of bread to Egyptian life. In modern Egypt, the government subsidizes bread، dating back to a Nasser-era policy; as of 2008[update], however, a major food crisis has caused ever-longer bread lines at government-subsidized bakeries where there would normally be none; the occasional fight has broken out over bread, leading to fear of bread riots. The bread subsidies are also viewed by political observers as a means by the government of mitigating opposition by the lower-classes to an authoritarian domestic political system.
Some Egyptians consider Kushari, a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni, to be the national dish. Ful Medames (mashed fava beans) is also popular and is used in making Ta’meyya (also known as Falafel), which Egyptians consider to be superior to elsewhere in the Middle East where chickpeas is the major ingredient of this dish, although chickpeas have been grown by Egyptians for thousands of years.
Ancient Egyptians are known to have used a lot of garlic and onion in their everyday dishes. Fresh mashed garlic with other herbs is used in spicy tomato salad and is also stuffed in boiled or baked aubergines (eggplant). Garlic fried with coriander is added to Mulukhiyya, a popular green soup made from finely chopped jute leaves, sometimes with chicken or (preferably) rabbit. Fried onions can be added to Kushari.
Other popular dishes include:
Kabab and Kofta, usually of lamb meat, chops and minced meat on skewers grilled on charcoal.
Shawerma is a popular sandwich of shredded beef, lamb or chicken meat, usually rolled in pita bread with Tahina sauce.
Hamaam Mahshi (Stuffed Pigeon) pigeon stuffed with rice or wheat and herbs, then roasted or grilled. A delicacy in Egypt!
Mahshi is a stuffing of rice, seasoned with herbs and spices, into vegetables like green peppers, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, or cabbage leaves. The stuffed vegetable is then placed in a pot and topped with two cans of tomato sauce and lemon or lime.
Mahshi Waraq ‘Enab is grape leaves stuffed with a rice mixture that can be made with sauteed ground beef or vegetarian style. The rice is seasoned with crushed red tomatoes, onion, parsley, dill, salt, pepper and Egyptian spices (boharat). This mixture is then stuffed and rolled into an individual grape leaf and placed in a pot and topped with two cans of tomato sauce and lemon or lime.
Macaroni with béchamel is a very famous pasta dish in Egypt. The béchamel sauce is the key ingredient in it. Typically, it consists of a mixture of penne macaroni and béchamel sauce, and usually one layer of cooked spiced meat with onions.
Moussaqa’a is sliced eggplants that are lightly grilled and placed in a flat pan with sliced onions, green peppers, and jalapenos. It is then covered with a red sauce made of tomato paste and Egyptian spices. This pan is cooked in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Kishk is made with milk or yogurt, and flour, sometimes seasoned with fried onions and chicken broth.
Mulukhiyah is prepared in various styles wherein the mallow leaves are very finely chopped, with ingredients such as garlic and coriander added to give it a characteristic aromatic taste.
Baba Ghannoug is a condiment made with eggplants, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, cumin and oil.
Tahina salad (sometimes also referred to as Hummus salad if chickpeas are added for texture) is a condiment made with sesame butter, chickpeas, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, cumin and olive oil.
Duqqah is a dry mixture of chopped nuts, seeds and Middle Eastern spices and flavors.
Desserts
Egyptian desserts are similar to other Eastern Mediterranean desserts.
Fatir are pancakes (filo dough) stuffed with everything from eggs to apricots or fruit of choice.
Feteer Meshaltet
Eish al-Saraya
Umm Ali is a national dish of Egypt. It is a raisin cake soaked in milk and served hot.
Basbousa or sometimes called Harissa (in Morrocco and Alexandria) is a sweet dish made from semolina and is soaked in a sugar syrup. It is usually topped with almonds and traditionally cut diagonally into pieces so that each piece resembles a diamond shape.
Qatayef is a dessert reserved for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, a sort of sweet crepe filled with cheese or nuts.
Kunāfah is a dish of batter “strings” fried on a hot grill and stuffed with nuts (usually pistachios), meats, heavy whipped cream or sweets.
Baqlawa is a sweet dish made from many layers of phyllo pastry, an assortment of nuts, and soaked in a sweet syrup.
Kahk is a traditional sweet dish served most commonly during Eid ul-Fitr in Egypt. It is a shortbread biscuit covered with icing sugar, which may be stuffed with dates, walnuts, agameya (like turkish-delight), or just served plain.
Ghurayyeba is a common dish in all of North Africa. It is a sweet dish similar to kahk but much thinner. It is like shortbread and is usually topped with roasted almonds.
Luqmat al-Qadi literally translates to “the bite of the judge”. They are small, round donuts which are crunchy on the outside and soft and syrupy on the inside. They may be served with dusted cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Religious varieties
Although Ramadan is a month of fasting for Muslims in Egypt, it is usually when Egyptians pay a lot of attention to food in variety and richness, since breaking the fast is a family affair, often with entire extended families meeting at the table just after sunset. There are several special desserts almost exclusive to Ramadan such as Kunāfah and Qatayef (Arabic: كنافة وقطايف). In this month, many Egyptians will make a special table for the poor or passers-by, usually in a tent in the street, called Ma’edat Al Rahman (Arabic: مائدة الرحمن) which translates literally as Table of (God) the Gracious (Merciful).
Observant Copts (Egypt’s native Oriental Orthodox Christian population), observe fasting periods according to the Coptic Calendar that practically extend to more than two-thirds of the year. The Coptic diet for fasting is essentially vegan. During this fasting, Copts will usually eat vegetables and legumes fried in oil as they avoid meat, chicken, and dairy products including butter.
List of the most important Egyptian Dishes
- Baba ghannoug.
- Bird Tongue (Orzo) Noodle Soup.
- Bisara.
- Bram rice (rice made with milk in a special kind of plate, usually stuffed with chicken liver).
- Duck.
- Duqqah.
- Eggs with bastırma.
- Falafel.
- Fisikh (salted or fermented mullet, generally eaten on the spring festival of Sham El Nessim, which falls on Easter Monday).
- Ful medames.
- Goose.
- Kabab.
- Koubeiba (Kofta with bulghur wheat and meat).
- Kirsha (Sheep jelatin with vegetables).
- Kofta.
- Kushari.
- Lentil Soup.
- Liver (chicken or beef).
- Mahshi (grape leaves dolma, cabbage, green pepper, eggplant, squash, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes).
- Moussaqa’a.
- Molokheyya (Egyptian style), with rabbits, chicken or other type of meat.
- Pastitsio, known in Egypt as Macaroni with Béchamel.
- Pigeon (Hamaam) stuffed with rice.
- Shack-shooka (Eggs with tomato sauce and vegetables).
- Shawerma.
- Shish taouk.
- Sayyadiyeh.
- Ta’meyya (Falafel)
- Turlli (a tray of baked squash, potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomato sauce).
- White cheese & tomatoes.
List of the most important Egyptian Desserts
- Baqlawa.
- Basbousa; Harissa.
- Couscous (Egyptian style).
- Eish al-Saraya
- Feteer Meshaltet
- Halawa.
- Kahk.
- Kunāfah.
- Honey and coconut pie.
- Ladida.
- Malban (Turkish Delight)
- Mehalabeyya.
- Melabesa.
- Qatayef.
- Umm Ali.
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