Exploring Egypt's Street Food Scene

Have you ever considered tasting the genuine flavors of Egypt?

Ever thought about experiencing the authentic flavors of Egypt? I've had the opportunity to sample all the amazing street food recipes that Egypt has to offer, from the lively streets of Cairo to the colorful markets of Alexandria. Let's explore the diverse and flavorful world of Egyptian street food together, where each dish has a story to tell and every bite is an adventure.

The Heart of Egyptian Cuisine: Koshary

Egyptians knew to eat koshary when Indian soldiers came to Egypt during the first World War in 1914 with the British troops, and the Indian koshary was called "kochri" and it was a mixture of rice and brown lentils.

The food spread in various Egyptian neighborhoods until it reached a neighborhood inhabited by some Italian minorities, so they added pasta to koshary, but the Egyptians are credited with adding "accuracy" with vinegar and garlic to it, and since then koshary has become one of the basics of the Egyptian table.

Then the meal became what it is now, by means of the creations of the Egyptians to complete it, where they added the Egyptian flavor, such as: "red hot sauce, delicacy, roasted onions, chickpeas".

Taameya: Egypt’s Take on Falafel

The dish is considered one of the most famous and best Egyptian folk dishes and is often accompanied by smoked beans on the Egyptians ' breakfast table.

The first to prepare the bait were the Pharaohs, after eating the beans in its initial form, as the bait appeared on the inscriptions of the tombs in the valley of the Kings with it, and it is made of crushed beans and vegetables, and over time the Egyptians mastered the addition of eggs, tomatoes and Shata.

And after the Pharaohs, the Copts took it as their food with the entry of Christianity into Egypt, since it is full of vegetable protein, and a good alternative to meat on fasting days, where they called it (fa - la fel), which is a Coptic word meaning "with a lot of beans."

The food is made from crushed beans soaked in water for a while and then ground in a special bean grinder with onions, garlic and green balls. Then fry in oil in the form of tablets with a pinch of Sesame.

Ful Medames: A Breakfast Essential

Beans were an important crop in Pharaonic Egypt and were used in many meals and dishes, where they were cooked in various ways, such as roasting, cooking with rice or preparing soup from it. It was also used to make bean bread and bean seeds have been found in graves in Sakkara and Kom osheim from the Greco-Roman era.

Beans are one of the main meals of the Egyptians, which is eaten almost daily at the breakfast table throughout the year.

Beans are served either in dishes or in a sandwich, with salt, oil, lemon, cumin and sometimes tahini added to it. Sometimes it is cooked with onions, tomatoes and hot green peppers.

The origin of the madams Bean is due to a Greek man named (Deimos), where this man had popular baths in which water was heated for bathing, and he thought to bury the pot of beans inside the burning oven, and thus the beans are cooked, and the idea began to spread and the places of cooking the beans spread and it is called the madams from the word Deimos.

Alexandrian Liver: A Savory Delight

Alexandrani liver is one of the famous methods of cooking beef and Buffalo liver in Egyptian cuisine, the method is attributed to the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

It is one of the popular delicacies that are served in shops and on special catering carts on all the streets of Egypt.

Alexandrian liver is prepared from beef or Buffalo liver, where it is cut into small pieces, then fried on fire, then hot pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, dry coriander and lemon are added to it. 

Alexandrian liver is often served in sandwiches with tahini and pickle

Hawawshi: The Egyptian Meat Pie

Hawoushi appeared in Egypt in 1930, where a butcher from a member of the hawoushi family put minced meat inside a loaf of bread and cooked the loaf in the oven to make it look like a hawoushi loaf.

Hawawshi is a popular Egyptian street food known for its deliciousness, often described as an Egyptian meat pie and typically enjoyed with a spicy kick.

This dish is typically served piping hot alongside appetizers such as pickled cucumbers.

To make hawawshi, minced meat with a bit of fat is combined with onions, garlic, hot pepper, black pepper, and salt. 

The meat mixture is then stuffed into a loaf of bread, topped with pepper slices and cheese, and baked until the bread becomes crispy while the filling remains soft.

Fiteer: Egypt’s Flaky Pastry

Street pie, a type of pastry, is crafted in a specialized bakery where the dough is made with flour, water, and salt, and then baked until it becomes golden and crispy. 

It is typically vended from a cart equipped with a heating stove, and is served piping hot. Once heated, it is adorned with powdered sugar, basbousa, kunafa, or honey, depending on the customer's preference. 

This pie is known to be one of the most economical options among street foods and provides a satisfying sense of fullness.

Conclusion

Egyptian food, like Egyptian history, has been mixed with many cultures and peoples, taken from them and given to them. Therefore, every Egyptian dish has a history that can tell a story. This is in addition to the Egyptian creativity, which you can find touches anywhere you walk around and eat. Dishes of pharaonic origin, Roman, Greek, Coptic and Arabic origin, all mixed with the Egyptian character and touch.

Come to Egypt and try to mix with the Egyptians, get close to them and taste their food, an experience you will never forget and will leave an impression inside you that will last you a lifetime

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Khaled Sawada