Yes, Egypt is famous for its ancient monuments, culture and revolution, but it is also famous for its great food. I listed the top 10 main attractions in Egypt, next is the top 10 delicious flavors of the Middle East. Only this time, number 10 is the most popular. Which one sounds like your favorite? Take your pick!
~~ This is the most popular dish in Egypt. It consists of pasta and tomato sauce, among other items, including rice, lentils, caramelized onions, garlic and chickpeas. As it has four sources of carbohydrates, kushari is the most popular lunch item in most common food outlets in Egypt for over 100 years. My mother always makes this dish at home, and it is actually one of my favorites. ~~
~~ Ful Medames consists of lava beans served with oil, garlic and lemon juice. Ful Medames can be traced to Pharaonic roots, and quantities have been found in the Twelfth dynasty. The word “Medames” is Coptic for “buried” which refers to the way it was initially cooked: in a pot buried in hot coal or sand. It can be served with many flourishes however the most traditional method is to eat it plain and salted in an Egyptian bread bun. My family and I eat this dish most when we are fasting for our religion (vegan for a certain period of time). ~~
~~ This meal is one of my favorites as well however my mum generally only makes it twice a year; Easter and Christmas after we have completed our major fasts. It consists of layers of rice and fried bread, covered in a garlic and vinegar meat soup. Large chunks of stewed beef and deep-fried poached eggs are usually served along with the rice and bread base. They state that “Fatta is a really fattening dish, with an extremely high calorific value; it is rarely eaten during the year, except after a major religious fast such as the 50 days before Easter for Coptic Christians, or the month of Ramadan before Eid-Al-Futr.” ~~
~~ This is another popular meal in my household however I personally do not prefer to eat it. Mulukhiya is made from the leaves of jute and corchorus plants that grow in east and north Africa. In Egypt, Mulukhiya is prepared by chopping the leaves with garlic and coriander and cooking it in an animal stock such as chicken, beef or rabbit, and served with Egyptian bread or rice. ~~
~~ This is a really popular dish however one that nor my family or myself like. It consists of fermented, salted and dried gray mullet. To prepare this dish it involves drying the fish in the sun then salting it, is usually prepared by a specialized person called a fasakhani. It is then stored in thick glass jars that are firmly closed, as it has a very strong smell. ~~
~~ This meal is not made often. It is cooked during the Coptic Christian celebrations of Epiphany and the method of which it is prepared is supposed to resemble the baptism of Jesus. It is known as Qilqas in Egypt. Taro is a Southeast Asia native plant that was introduced to the Mediterranean parts of Egypt in ancient times and is generally prepared in a broth with lemon juice, garlic and coriander. ~~
~~ My parents love to eat Halawa. It is made from sesame paste and is available in all shapes and forms: blocks, hair Halawa, energy bars and spreads. It is sometimes infused with other types of food to add to its flavor, these include: pistachios, pine nuts and almonds. It is considered only a snack, not a meal. Halawa is one of the few foods that can tolerate the hot Egyptian weather without going bad. ~~
~~ Dukkah consists of a mixture of herbs, nuts and spices such as mint, salt, sesame, coriander and cumin. It is an Egyptian food commonly used as a dip and eaten along with Egyptian flatbread or raw vegetables, such as tomatoes or cucumber, as an hors d’oeuvre or side dish. The name “Dukkah” is derived from the Arabic word “to pound” referring to how all the spices are pounded together to prepare the dish. ~~
~~ I absolutely adore this dish, my mum does not make it often as it takes a lot of effort but we all enjoy eating this sweet. Konafah is an Egyptian sweet made of a very thin noodle-like pastry. It is baked and presented with a fruit syrup on top.~~
~~ Last but certainly not least is the Gibna Domiati. It is a white soft cheese made in the city of Damietta, in the north of Egypt. It is the most common cheese found in Egypt and is incorporated into a lot of dishes, such as sambousak (fried thin pastry stuffed with cheese) or mesh (a tomato and cheese dip). Gibna Domiati is aged for a period of 1-3 years in large tin cans, before being eaten. ~~
I really hope you enjoyed this post and enjoyed learning about the flavors of the Middle East. Let me know if you happen to try any of them and whether or not you liked it :)
