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.
QatayefStuffed pancakes filled with nuts or cream, fried or served fresh in syrup
Rengasmoked herring shredded with onion, oil and lemon, eaten with green onions
Roz bel labanchilled creamy rice pudding scented with vanilla or mastic
Roz mo’ammarrice baked slowly in milk, cream and butter until a golden crust forms
Rumi cheesehard aged cow's cheese, sharp and salty, sliced onto bread or grated
Sahlabwarm thickened milk drink topped with cinnamon, coconut and nuts
SambousekFolded pastry triangles filled with cheese, meat or spinach and fried
Sayadeyafish baked over caramelised-onion spiced rice; Alexandrian coastal favourite
Sobiathick sweet milky drink of rice or coconut, served very cold
Stellapale lager, Egypt's oldest and best-known beer brand
Sugarcane juicefresh-pressed asab, frothy and sweet, from juice shops everywhere
Ta’ameyaherb-green fava-bean falafel crusted with sesame, stuffed into baladi bread
Tamr hindichilled tamarind sharbat, dark and tart, a Ramadan cooler
TermesSalted lupin beans soaked and brined, popped from their skins by hand
Torshisalt-brined turnips, carrots, limes and peppers, stained pink with beetroot-
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.…