eating in egypt

so, after two weeks in egypt, i have long forgotten our banana leaf lunch and masala dosa overload of india. instead, we have been wowed with the abundance and variety of vegetables, meats and seafood in north africa. egyptian food is based around bread, mezze and grilled proteins. in the last 14 odd days, we have had our fair share of all three. we have eaten in numerous stand-up, fast food restaurants in cairo, sampled koshari (egyptian soul food) and gorged on seafood on the mediterranean coast. i have tried to take pictures of most of it, a task that was often forgotten as the food was sat on the table in front of us. in the following few posts, i'll try to show you a few of the region favorites.



there is lots of fresh cheese in egypt. most of it is creamy and slightly fermented, giving it a nice tart, sour flavor. it is a staple of the collection of mezze, or appetizers, that is served before the main courses. most times, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and olives, along with olive oil and cracked pepper, are served around or along side for dipping.



fuul, pronounced fowl, is a staple for breakfast, lunch and dinner in egypt. take-aways sell fuul pitas for about 10 cents and a few of them will get you through a long afternoon of sightseeing. in this version, served in a small restaurant in alexandria, the beans were covered with fried garlic and drowned in olive oil. again, great with some egyptian bread to soak it all up.



stuffed grape leaves are a staple food of the middle east and mediterranean. for the uninitiated, they are brined grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices and steamed until the rice is tender. they are great both hot and cold and are often served, rehaeted in a little vegetable broth with caramelized onions and tomatoes. the egyptian name for them is wara einab.



grilled kidneys - offal meats, organs and brains are readily available in every restaurant. fast food places serve grilled liver sandwiches and brains stuffed into pita. it is everywhere. we (actually just me, alina and jason passed... go figure) had grilled kidneys at a little place in alexandria. i was really surprised at how great they were. really tender and mild no strong flavors. they were served over watercress, just like kofta, and were delicious eaten the same way in pita with raw veggies and thahini.




kofta is minced beef or lamb, often mixed together. it is spiced and formed onto skewers before being griled. most of the time, it is served over some chopped bitter greens like watercress or arugula. it is best stuffed into some aish, egypt's version of pita. with a few cucumbers, tomatoes and some thahini, it makes for a perfect dinner - one of my favorites, for sure.