Egypt
Ask what Egypt eats and the answer starts with this: ancient comfort food of beans, rice, bread and molokhia; vegetarian-leaning street classics with garlicky, cumin-scented depth. Look for Koshari (rice, lentils, macaroni and chickpeas under spiced tomato sauce and crispy onions), Ful medames (slow-stewed fava beans with cumin, oil and lemon; Egypt’s daily fuel) and Ta’ameya (herb-green fava-bean falafel crusted with sesame, stuffed into baladi bread). Assembled in Cairo in the late nineteenth century, combining Indian khichri brought by British-Indian troops, Italian pasta and Egyptian rice, lentils and chickpeas. This atlas has 51 Egypt dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.
51 dishes.
Aish shamsisun-risen Upper Egyptian sourdough baked in domed clay ovens
Areesh cheeseSoft white farmer's cheese drained from soured milk, eaten with bread and tomato
Balah el ShamRidged fingers of choux dough fried and steeped in cold syrup
Basbousasemolina cake soaked in syrup, topped with almonds
Bastirmaair-dried beef under a thick fenugreek-garlic crust, fried with eggs
Batarekhsalted pressed grey mullet roe sealed in wax, sliced thin with lemon
Belilawhole wheat berries simmered in sweetened milk with nuts and cinnamon
Domiati cheesesoft white brined cheese, Egypt's everyday breakfast cheese with ful and bread
DoumInfusion of the gingerbread palm fruit, drunk hot or iced with a gingerbread taste
Dukkahcrushed nuts, sesame, coriander and cumin for dipping bread with oil
Eish baladipuffed wholemeal pocket flatbread, the bran-dusted staple of Egyptian meals
Erk sousfoaming liquorice-root infusion, bitter-sweet, served ice cold
Fattahlayers of crisp bread, rice and meat in garlic-vinegar tomato sauce; feast dish
Feseekhfermented salted grey mullet eaten with onions at the Sham el-Nessim festival
Feteer meshaltetmany-layered buttery flaky pastry, eaten with honey, cheese or savoury fillings
Ful medamesStewed fava beans mashed with oil, cumin and chilli, scooped with bread
GhorayebaPale melting butter cookie topped with a single almond
Hamam mahshipigeon stuffed with freekeh or rice, then roasted; Cairo delicacy
Hawawshibaladi bread packed with spiced minced beef, baked crisp
Hummus el ShamHot chickpea broth with cumin and lemon, drunk from a cup on winter streets
Kahkcrumbly sugar-dusted biscuits filled with nut paste, baked for Eid al-Fitr
Karkadedeep-red hibiscus infusion, drunk sweet, hot or iced
Kawarehgelatinous cow's-foot soup with garlic and cumin, poured over bread
Kebda eskandaraniAlexandrian chili-garlic beef liver, fried and piled into rolls
KobebaBulgur shells stuffed with spiced minced meat and pine nuts, deep-fried
Konafacrisp shredded pastry with cream or nuts, drowned in syrup; Ramadan star
Kosharirice, lentils, macaroni and chickpeas under spiced tomato sauce and crispy onions
Laban rayebRaw milk left to sour and set into a tangy curd, eaten cold
Lokmet el qadiSmall doughnut balls fried crisp and drowned in sugar syrup
Mahshivine leaves, peppers and courgette stuffed with herbed rice
Mesaqa’afried aubergine baked in tomato sauce, with or without minced meat
Mishsalted cheese fermented in whey with fenugreek and chili for a year
Molokhiavelvety jute-leaf soup with fried garlic-coriander, over rice or with rabbit
Mombarsausage casings stuffed with spiced rice and herbs, boiled then fried crisp
Om Alibaked pastry and milk pudding with nuts, raisins and cream, served bubbling
Qamar el-DinApricot leather soaked and blended into a thick sweet juice, drunk chilled-
Aish shamsi
Sun-risen Upper Egyptian sourdough baked in domed clay ovens. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking. 4 loaves.…
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Areesh cheese
Soft white farmer’s cheese drained from soured milk, eaten with bread and tomato. Ready in 15 min prep and 15…
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Balah el Sham
Ridged fingers of choux dough fried and steeped in cold syrup. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking.…
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Basbousa
Semolina cake soaked in syrup, topped with almonds. Ready in 20 min prep and 40 min cooking. 16 pieces. A…
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Bastirma
Air-dried beef under a thick fenugreek-garlic crust, fried with eggs. A charcuterie & cured recipe from Egypt.
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Belila
Whole wheat berries simmered in sweetened milk with nuts and cinnamon. Ready in 10 min prep and 1 hr 30…
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Domiati cheese
Soft white brined cheese, Egypt’s everyday breakfast cheese with ful and bread. A cheese & dairy recipe from Egypt.
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Doum
Infusion of the gingerbread palm fruit, drunk hot or iced with a gingerbread taste. Ready in 10 min prep and…
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Dukkah
Crushed nuts, sesame, coriander and cumin for dipping bread with oil. Ready in 20 min prep and 20 min cooking.…