Traditional Egyptian Food

Egyptian food is known for its legumes, vegetables, and fruits, which come from the rich Nile Valley and Delta. There are some similarities between the Egyptian food and the food of the eastern Mediterranean regions. Some tourists come to Egypt especially to try some of the Egyptian food.
Here is a list of Egypt’s most popular food, how to prepare it and its ingredients.

Appetizers in Egyptian Food

Hummus Dip:

It is a well-known Levantine dip. It includes cooked, mashed chickpeas or other beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. It usually fits all types of meals especially fish.

Sambosa (Samosa)

It is a fried or baked dish with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, or peas. Its size varies and it has a triangle shape. Sambosa can be eaten as a snack or as an appetizer with chicken or meat filling.

Yogurt Cucumber Dip (Salatet Zabadi)

This appetizer can be eaten with every meal and it is served with toasted or fried pita bread triangles, a side dish to cool down any spicy meal or with grilled meats. It consists of yogurt, chopped mint, salt & pepper, tahini, and crushed garlic.

Feta Cheese & Green Fava Beans

A delicious snack that can be eaten at breakfast or as a light appetizer with other tasty meals. It is a combination of feta cheese with green beans, pepper, salt, olive oil, and some drill & parsley.

Marinated Olives

A delicious appetizer that fits every of Egyptian food as it gives a delicious taste as a side dish especially if your meal isn’t salty enough.

Main Dishes of Egyptian Food

Ful wa Ta’meya (Fava Beans and Falafel)

It is the most common traditional meal between Egyptian foods which the majority of tourists come to try. A suitable breakfast meal consists of fava beans, which is well prepared with tomatoes, a bunch of garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Ta’meya consists of 250g dried split fava beans, covered in cold water and soaked overnight, garlic, chopped onions, chopped parsley, some sesame seeds, salt & pepper, and oil. To have your perfect breakfast mean, you have to order a dish of fava beans in addition to some Ta’meyas, yummy.

Kushari

Kushari is a national traditional Egyptian food that consists of many ingredients including olive oil, a small onion, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 diced tomatoes, vinegar, ginger, Pasta, spaghetti, Fried Onion, onions, cooked chickpeas, and cooked white rice.

Fatta

It is a combination of bread, meat, and rice. Egyptians have special occasions for Fatta including Aqeeqa while celebrating a new baby, and Eid El-Adha.

Feseekh

It is fermented salted and dried gray mullet of the genus Mugil. It is mainly eaten in Sham El-Naseem festival in Egypt with bread, lemon, and onions.

Hawawshi

It is a traditional Sandwich of Egyptian food with minced meat spiced with black & green pepper, sliced onions, salt, parsley, and chives.

Messa’a

It is an Egyptian Eggplant lunch platter with a combination of eggplant, garlic, onions, oil, salt & pepper. It is a traditional Egyptian meal that can be eaten hot and cold with a traditional Baba ghanog plate.

Shakshuka

It is a breakfast type of Egyptian food that is mainly prepared with eggs with mashed garlic, slices of onions, tomatoes, and Egyptian spices including pepper, chilies, and salt. A healthy meal includes all of what you need, which you can eat with only bread and feta cheese and some lettuce.

Aish Baladi

This is the main Egyptian bread that can be eaten with all types of Egyptian food through and a meal that makes you feel that you are so replete. It dates back to Gamal Abd El-Nasser era. Common bread includes:
Bataw – Eish Baladi- Eish fino -Eish Merahrah- Eish Shamsi – Feteer Meshaltet

Mahshi (Dolma)

It is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes including tomato, pepper, onion, eggplant, and zucchini. Warak Enab Grape Leaves also represent delicious dolma with lemon sauce and Chicken or meat.

Torly

It is a fanciful meal that consists of a combination of different vegetables including tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, and bean. It is a suitable meal to be eaten in winter as it makes you feel warm.

Bamia

It is a Middle Eastern stew that includes tomato sauce, onion, garlic, cilantro (coriander), vegetable oil, cardamom, salt, and pepper. It can be eaten on the same day or on the following day of preparing it, as it tastes much better then.

Macaroni Béchamel

This meal is a modern Egyptian food that consists of baked pasta with ground lamb and béchamel sauce. It is made of a layer of pine pasta, mashed onions with meat, another layer of pasta, and finally béchamel sauce.

Hamam Mahshi

Royal Egyptian stuffed Pigeon with rice or green wheat. The pigeon is first boiled and then toasted or grilled. It is a very delicious meal.

Kebda Iskandarani

Kebda Iskandarani is one of delicious Egyptian food, it consists of small pieces of liver and stir-fried with garlic and hot green pepper. It is served in sandwiches with delicious Tahini dip.