Egyptian dishes you need to try

1. Koshary

If we think about the dish that is the face of Pak, we will certainly say Feijoada, if this question is asked in relation to Egypt, the answer will be unanimous, Koshary.

Koshary is a 100% vegan dish, high in carbs and super cheap. Composed of different types of pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, tomato sauce, garlic sauce and fried onions, Koshary is present on the streets and in homes from north to south of the country.

Present in Egyptian cuisine daily, the most famous Koshary in Cairo, is in Downtown at the Abo Tarek restaurant, the dish costs on average 17 EGP. But believe me, if you have the opportunity to taste a Koshary made in the house of Egyptians, it will be a formidable experience.

2. Mahshy

You know the famous grape leaf cigar that we find in Lebanese restaurants? Well, this cigar in Egypt is known as Marshy, the preparation in the Egyptian way is very different, and I personally think it’s much better. The marshy in Egyptian cuisine is present on the table in several ways: with zucchini, cabbage, grape leaves, eggplant and peppers – a huge variety of vegetables stuffed with seasoned rice. Marshy is usually a dish that can accompany a protein, especially chicken or duck.

3. Done

This is a dish present in the great festivities of the country, especially in the Eid celebrations. And here come more carbs! The base of the dish is made with white rice that is interspersed with Baladi bread and drizzled with tomato sauce sautéed in garlic and cooked red meat or chicken.

4. Molokheya

If there is one word to describe this dish, I would say exotic. Apparently, it won’t win your heart, but believe me, when you taste it, you won’t want to stop eating. Molokhia is a kind of broth made with Nalta jute or jute Tossa, the broth is prepared with broth from the cooking used for chicken or beef, and cilantro and garlic fried in ghee butter are added. Molokheya is a side dish that you eat with rice, Baladi bread and chicken. This delicacy is not exclusive to Egyptian cuisine, but is also present in other Middle Eastern countries.

5. Egyptian breakfast

For the first meal of the day, forget about bread and butter and fruits, for breakfast with Egyptian cuisine, everything is different from what you have ever experienced. You will find fava beans seasoned in grains or paste (foul), omelet or boiled eggs, various preserves (pepper, olives, and other vegetables), Tamiya (a fried dumpling made from beans, in Pak you can find falafel, the difference is that falafel is made with chickpeas), salad, white cheese and Baladi bread (ash Baladi), round bread made with a mixture of wheat and baked in the oven, as Baladi is different from pita or pita. At the end of the meal, a black tea with mint (chei bi náná) or soluble coffee with milk (nescafé bi leban) can also be added.

6. Dying

We can’t talk about Egyptian cuisine without mentioning the sweets, including the national passion: Kunafa. Kunafa is a very traditional dessert throughout the Middle East, it is made with very thin dough, butter (samna baladi), sugar syrup (sharbat). They can be filled with nuts and raisins, cream or cheese. Some bakeries have created variations of fillings for this typical sweet, such as Nutella, date, mango, strawberry, lotus cookie cream, and chocolate. Kunafa is widely consumed by Egyptians, especially during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan.

In the country, the variety of oriental sweets is great, in addition to kunafa, you can find for example ataif, basbussa, baklava, feter, and walnut nests. The bakeries have windows filled with trays of sweets, one more delicious than the other. One of the most beloved desserts in the country is Om Ali, a kind of oven-baked walnut pudding, incredibly delicious. Other sweets that are present in the home of the Egyptians are: cream caramel (a version of our pudding but without the addition of condensed milk), malabeya (cream based on milk, sugar, and starch), and Roz be leban (milk rice).

7. Kabab we Kofta

The famous Egyptian barbecue is how we can define Kabab. Chunks of mutton or beef and well seasoned are grilled and served with tahini (sauce made from sesame seeds) and baba ghannoug (a mixture of tahini sauce with smoked eggplant). The Kofta is a cousin of the meatball, modeled lengthwise the kofta is made with ground meat and spices, it can be grilled or baked in the oven.

Egyptians usually eat in restaurants a dish that comes with both preparations: kebab we kofta.

There is another way of preparing Kabab, known as Kabab hala, which consists of cooking the meat, some prefer to serve the meat only cooked with the spices, others mix it in tomato sauce with potatoes, and there is still another way of preparing the meat. meat is cooked with plenty of onions and green peppers.

And there is no chicken kebab? In fact, the chicken skewer has another name, it’s called Shish Tawook.

8. Shawerma

The street sandwich from Egypt! Shawerma is a world-famous sandwich, it is very easy to be found in several countries of the world thanks to Arab immigrants. Shawerma is a sandwich based on pita bread (here in Egypt they also use another bread known as thin aesh), meat or chicken, tahini sauce (sesame sauce) or Tomoya (garlic sauce), salad and pickles (canned onion, carrot, cucumber, etc). Shawarma is easily found in many restaurants and eateries across the country.