The other national dish of Egypt is molokhia, which takes its name from the tall leafy vegetable from which it is made. Molokhia has been cultivated along the banks of the Nile for centuries, and is said to have the highest amount of protein and folic acid of any green leaf vegetable. It is also rich in beta-carotene, iron, calcium, and vitamin C. Egyptians believe it has aphrodisiac powers as well as great taste.
Bread is central to many Middle Eastern cuisines, being both the accompaniment to and the means of eating most regional dishes, but Egyptians have elevated its importance even higher by referring to bread as eish, meaning ‘life’ or ‘survival’. Eish, along with fava beans, has been the staple of the national diet for thousands of years.
In the bustling streets of Cairo, where the pavement is a marketplace and everything is for sale, food vendors serve up their delights to hungry customers. In days gone by people would bring their own container, pots or plates to fill up with a steaming serve of ful medames, or line up behind the kushari cart for a delicious mix of rice, lentils and noodles served with fragrant tomato sauce and fried onions. Other favourites are Egypt’s fava bean falafels, called tameya, often dished up with salad and bread, or a juicy skewer of marinated meat that has been cooking over hot charcoal.
Fresh fruit is a healthy and light conclusion to most meals, with strong coffee, black tea or the delicious refreshing red tea called karkade made with dried hibiscus flowers.
Chicken soup with mallow and rice (molokhia).
The tradition of the coffee houses in Egypt, where customers, almost always all male, escape the world and enjoy coffee and a nargile pipe, goes back centuries. Some popular Egyptian sweets are the coconut based semolina cake basbousa, and the creamy baked custard, dish called om Ali.
Egyptian Food Safari recipes
Bamya (okra) with lamb
