Egypt is one of the top destination countries to many tourists around the world, it’s rich with its civilization and history. There are many activities you can simply enjoy in Egypt from exploring its mind-blowing sites to enjoying its sandy beaches or even scuba diving in the red sea with the coral reefs and other amazing sea creatures.
But beyond that there’s only one activity that you should not miss while you’re in Egypt, which is simply experiencing the Egyptian cuisine.
Egypt’s cuisine is one of the most-loved and delicious cuisines around the world, it's influenced by its many cultures, so consider to taste so many cultures in one dish!
It’s popular by its unique taste and cheap price, more notably as a vegetarian cuisine because vegetables are cheaper than meat. But the taste and the experience are something that cannot be described by words.
In this blog we will introduce to you the 10 most popular Egyptian plates, from breakfast to dinner. That you should definitely try even once if you ever visited Egypt!
1.Ful Medames:
Some sources say that it is originally dates all way back to Ancient Egypt.
It’s also spelled as “Fool” or “Ful Medames”, Ful basically means beans and its second part “Medames” explains the way it’s cooked, in other words the recipe. Ful is fava beans served with oil, cumin and optionally chopped with onions, parsley, garlic, lemon , chili pepper or even tomatoes. The process of cooking “Ful” requires soaking it all night and cooking for hours on low heat in a giant metal jug called “Qedra” in order to remove beanscasing.
It is considered one of Egypt’s top traditional dishes eaten bynearly 90% of Egyptians, it indeed has a large number of fans!
Usually eaten on breakfast whether as a quick sandwich or served as a plate with bread beside other dishes we will mention below.
Not to forget, Ful is a very healthy dish as it is rich in fiber and protein and it also helps reduce “bad cholesterol” in the body.
2.Ta’meya or Falafel:
Its origin is somehow unknown and controversial but it is said that it’s originally an Egyptian Food often eaten by Copts instead of meat. However, the dish later immigrated northwards to the East where fava beans were replaced by chickpeas.
So, Falafel or Ta’meya as named in Egypt is a deep-fried ball made of fava beans or chickpeas or both! It’s a common street food often served as breakfast with Ful Medames and usually can be described as a kind of Greenor vegan burger, It’s so delicious and crispy with a dark golden color from the outside and green color from the inside.
Very cheap and common not only in the Egyptian streets but in all of the Middle East. It can be also served with bread, Tomatoes, Onion and Tahini sauce, or it can be wrapped as a sandwich with salad, spices and
Tahini sauce. I really recommend trying it one day because it’s absolutely delicious.
3.Koshari:
Koshari appeared in Egypt during a time Egypt was multicultural & in the middle of an economic boom! The dish originated during the mid-19th century and combines Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern culinary elements. It’sa very interesting mixture and very delicious!
Koshari or Koshary is made of rice, macaroni and lentils mixed together, topped with tomato sauce, garlic, vinegar and garnished with chickpeas and crispy onions. It’s optionally served with garlic sauce or chili hot sauce if desired. What distinguishes the dish is its amazing color palette and of course its unique taste.
It's very popular in the Egyptian streets, an absolute carbbomb! That is served in restaurants, carts and can be eaten at any time of the day.Moreover, the dish is cheap and ranks second place after Foul and Tameya.
4. Mulukhiyah:
Molokhia or Mulukhiyah call it as you like, this dish specifically has so many homes around the world. It is not only cooked in Egypt but surprisingly in East African and North African countries and it is called “Saluyot” in the Philippines.
However, most scholars point out that this dish originated in Ancient Egypt. Mulukhiyah in the Egyptian cuisine is prepared as follows; the central spine of the leaves is removed then chopped into tiny small pieces until they become a little bit juicy together. Then the leaves are boiled often with meat,fish or even rabbits and sometimes they’re boiled solo, after that in another pan it is prepared a sort of sauce called “Tasha” which is basically garlic and butter. A fun fact Egyptians have that habit when pouring “Tasha” onthe Mulukhiyah that they act surprised!! Honestly, I don’t know why butEgyptians are so funny and they like to have fun while doing everything.
However, the dish is served with white rice or with Egyptian flat bread (Eish baladi). You can find it in any restaurant in Egypt, widely available and it tastes fresh and incredibly yummy!
Mulukiyia has many benefits. For example, it helps regulate blood pressure, improves digestion, boost the immune system, prevention of osteoporosis, relaxing and getting rid of insomnia, it also contains many vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin B6.
5. Mahshi:
It originates from the Ottoman Empire, from Balkan to levant and Egypt. Mahshi is definitely one ofthe dishes that you would fall in love with, nearly most Egyptians love Mahshi whether big or small.
It’s very delicious and extremely tasty. The name “Mahshi” in Arabic means stuffed, because basically it’s stuffed vegetables with rice and sometimes meat cooked on the stovet op or in the oven.
It consists of various kinds like zucchini or squash.
6.Maccaroni Bechamel:
This dish originated in Greece and found in other countries in the Mediterranean Sea. In Egypt it has a unique Egyptian version and it’s called Macaroni Bechamel. It’s basically penne or macaroni pasta, minced meat sauce with tomato and Onion, and white sauce often enriched with some sort of cheese.Egg may be added on the top to give it the beautiful golden color.
A plate you should really try, very satisfying and different.
7. Fattah:
Fattah or Fatteh is originally an Egyptian dish that goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Egyptians in the ancient times used to serve it in big feats or in celebrations like weddings or the birth of a child.However, this tradition still exists and Egyptians serve Fattah as a main dish during the birth of a child and in Iftar during Ramadan.
It is made with garlic, vinegar flavored meat soup, crispy flatbreadand served in a bowl with rice and a sauce consists of tomatoes and garlic. Fattah is often served with lamb meat.
8. Roz Bel laban:
Next the deserts, On the top of the list in “Roz Bel Laban”which means in Arabic; milk with rice pudding. It’s a very popular Egyptian desert that is often served with pistachio pieces. Really recommended to try!
9. Om AliI:
It’s literal translation is “Ali’s mother”, it was named after the wife of the ruler of the Ayyubid Empire in Egypt. Who asked her cooks to come up with the most delicious dessert they can create and distribute it across the country for a victory celebration. The sweet pudding consists of flavors of bread, milk and sugar. It’s also topped with raisins, nuts and coconut pieces (optionally).
It can be served hot or cold and both are terrific!
10. Konafa:
It is said that it's dish originates from Fatimid origin. Konafa or Kanfeh is the cream ofthe Egyptian deserts. One of the most well-known preparations of Konafa is in the holy month of Ramadan, every Egyptian house has to serve konafa and Katayef too!
It’s one desert you would not t like to miss, sweet and entersyour heart before your stomach.
