Egypt is one of the most known country of its great civilization, unique culture, lifestyle, people and its food. As many of the tourists and travelers who come to Egypt are striving for tasting lots of different kinds of Egyptian food and could also ask for a special Egyptian food tour so they can have the chance to taste every famous dish in the country.
So here we want you to explore with the 20 top traditional Egyptian food with a wide variety of the Traditional Egyptian Cuisine, Ingredients and Dishes you would not need to miss. Let’s Dig Deeper in the Delicious Egyptian local cuisines:
1-Kushari
A mix of rice, spaghetti, small round macaroni, vermicelli, fried onions, black lentils and hummus, topped
with thick tomato sauce, garlic and vinegar sauce and chilli sauce put together in some kind of art. That mix may
sound strange, but it’s totally worth a try!
2-Mulukhiya
A green leafy vegetable chopped and cooked with garlic in beef, rabbit or chicken stew, and served with rice or bread.
One interesting thing about Mulukhiya is that it gets prepared differently in different areas in Egypt. For example, cities
that are located near the coast usually prepare it with fish or shrimp. This dish is heaven, and so worth try.
3-Fatta
A Nubian dish that is commonly prepared for occasions mostly religious ones. The dish consists of layers of fried bread
and rice, with tomato sauce cooked with garlic and vinegar on top, meat soup and large pieces of meat. The dish is very
delicious but very fattening so only eat on special occasions.
4-Sayadeya
A dish that is mainly cooked in coastal cities like Suez, Portsaid and Alexandria. It is made of white fish such as bass
or bluefish, and cooked with yellow rice, onion, spices, and tomato sauce. It is then baked in an earthenware pot.
5-Ful Medames
One of the most common primary foods for Egyptians, this dish consists of lava beans prepared with oil and lemon juice.
You can also add garlic or onion if you prefer. Ful can be prepared in many different ways, and people eat it with butter,
spicy oil, olive oil, tomato sauce, pepper, pastrami, parsley, sausage, and boiled or fried eggs. It is believed that Ful
was cooked all the way back in ancient Egypt.
6-Ta’meya (Egyptian Falafel)
Another common food for Egyptians that is usually served with Ful. The Ta’meya or Falafel is mainly prepared
out of crushed fava beans mixed with other ingredients, then it gets fried. It is usually served with tahina and salad
with Egyptian bread.That’s a perfect dish for vegetarians too!
7-Alexandrian Liver and Sausages
Belonging to street food but also cooked at home. The liver is prepared with spicy pepper, and garlic or
onion may be added. As for the sausage, it is usually cooked in different ways, but mostly with
tomato sauce and spicy pepper. They’re both served with pickles.
8-Kebab & Kofta
If you’re a meat lover, then this is a must try! Kebab is prepared with pieces of grilled meat (lamb or veal).
As for Kofta,
it is piece of minced meat and is also prepared on the grill. Both are served with Egyptian bread,
salads and tahina.
9-Besarah
Another perfect food for vegetarians! A green creamy mash prepared of parsley, dill, leek, grinded fava beans, spices,
green pepper, and fried onions on the top. Served with Egyptian bread and green onions.
10-Shawarma
Shawarma one of the tasty Egyptian dishes, it is a large cone of pressed lamb or chicken that is rotated vertically in front
of a flame grill. As the meat is cooked it is sliced off and mixed on a griddle with chopped tomato, onion
and parsley before being rolled in a large disc of flatbread and wrapped in foil to take away.
11-Pigeon
A traditional delicacy food, pigeons (Hamaam) are bred throughout Egypt in conical pigeon towers. They are stuffed
with seasoned rice or, even better, bulgur wheat (freek) before being grilled or baked.
12-Egyptian Desserts
Egyptian desserts are quite light. Mahalabiya is a delicate rosewater-flavored ground rice dessert, topped with toasted
nuts and cinnamon. Um Ali is similar to the English bread and butter pudding but is less soft and spongy
as it is made with local dry bread. Roz bi laban is rice pudding, which is always served cold.
13-Baklava
Egyptians are big fans of the sticky for this kind of food, syrup-drenched, nut-filled filo pastries known collectively as
baklava. There are numerous different kinds such as konafa, which has a cream base and a crunchy vermicelli
pastry crust and Basbousa, made of semolina pastry soaked in honey and topped with hazelnuts.
14-Feteer Meshaltet
One of the traditional old food, Fiteer is a light, flaky multilayered bread made from dough stretched paper-thin and
folded several times. It is served stuffed with minced meat or cheese or just plain brushed with Samneh (ghee) or
dusted with icing sugar.
15-Baba Ganoush
While many think it was invented in Lebanon, baba ganoush is a dish you will soon find on Egyptian restaurant menus.
It’s a cream of roasted eggplant, olive oil, garlic, sesame paste (tahini) and lemon, very similar in texture
to hummus, which like hummus is eaten with pita bread.
16-Mahshi
Another great dish for vegetarian travelers. It basically consists of baked vegetables, usually peppers, zucchini or
aubergine, stuffed with rice mixed with aromatic herbs (parsley, coriander).It is accompanied by a drink sauce.
17-Umm Ali
This is a must-have dessert, even if you set foot in Egypt for a few minutes. Om Ali, which means Ali’s mother, is made
of layers of puff pastry soaked in milk and mixed with nuts, raisins, coconut flakes, and sugar, and then baked. The baked
dough with the hot milk, complemented with several different ingredients makes this a dish to remember.
18-Basbousa
A tasty dessert that has crossed borders, the Basbousa is of Ottoman origin. Found in different countries, it is favored
by people all over the world. The name of the delicacy changes from country to country, it is called Basbousa in Egypt.
The Egyptian version is usually thin, soaked in sweet syrup, soft inside and covered with almonds and fresh cream.
19-Baked sweet potato
This healthy delicacy is one of the cheapest desserts in Egypt and costs around 5 Egyptian pounds.The
locals usually line up by the cart, and the sweet potatoes are baked in front of them in a wood-fired
oven.The sweet potato is cut in two halves and delivered to enthusiastic diners on a piece of paper or newspaper.
Today, there are even modernized carts that sell the sweet potato with ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate,
and nuts as toppings
20-Beverages and Drinks
And finally, a short note on tea, one of Egypt’s most popular beverages. You can drink black tea virtually anywhere
in several different forms, with varying methods of preparation and amounts of sugar.
Herbal teas are also popular, especially refreshing hibiscus tea. Mint tea is another great option. You may see
fresh mint leaves lending flavor to black teas or lemonades as well. Whether you’re sipping black tea over breakfast or
relaxing with a cold hibiscus tea after lunch,
you’re sure to appreciate Egypt’s tea-drinking culture as much as its incredible food.
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