more egyptian eating...

i love shwarma - mixed beef and lamb trimmings spit roasted and carved to order, served with grilled tomatoes and onions on a warm roll slathered with thahini - perfection... in cairo you can't make it down a city block without finding at least a few little shops like this one - and believe me, i found my way into more than a few too...



aish, or bread, is the basis of every egyptian meal. long gone are our rice eating days of asia. now alina has a different type of carbohydrate to fret over. not me though, i try to eat as much of it as possible. this is a whole wheat version, while the majority is a simpler, thinner white flour version.



moussaka, yet another eggplant variation... this one is a rich, creamy and cheesy version served bubbling hot in a crock filled with stewed eggplant, tomaotes, onions, green peppers, cumin and black pepper. we also had lighter versions, without dairy, served in more of a tomato based sauce. both are excellent. they are usually accompanied with some steamed rice mixed with a little whole wheat vermicelli noodles on the side.



greek salad, shepherd's salad, egyptian salad... this one has a variety of different names on the menu, but they are all basically the same. ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, parsley, onion and some sour goat milk cheese with lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper. a much welcomed relief after 2 months of fearing fresh vegetables (and the stomach problems they caused) in india...




eggplant is it's own food group in egypt. served fried, stuffed, pickled, pureed, stewed... you name it and the egyptians have managed to perfect it. this version is part of the mezze, a cold salad of fried eggplant, tomatoes and parsley served with a few lemon/lime wedges.