North Africa
Egypt
Seven thousand years of bread and beans — koshari, ful medames and molokhia.
Staples
- Aish Baladi (whole wheat sourdough flatbread)
- Ful Mudammas (slow-simmered fava beans)
- Ruzz bi Sha'riyah (rice cooked with browned vermicelli)
- Ads Asfar (split red lentils)
- Molokhia (minced jute mallow leaves)
Seasonings
- Samna Baladi (grass-fed clarified butter)
- Dukka (toasted sesame, cumin, and coriander mix)
- Kamoun (earthy ground cumin)
- Kizbara Nashfa (coarsely ground dried coriander seed)
- Shatta (crushed dried red chili condiment)
Techniques
- Ta'liya sizzling garlic and coriander tempering
- Tadmees slow overnight legume pot simmering
- Khabz flash baking in high heat clay ovens
- Mahshi spiced rice stuffing of vegetables
At the table
Home meals are primarily prepared by women, centered on communal trays where torn Aish Baladi serves as an edible utensil alongside rice, seasonal greens, and tursi pickles. While the Mediterranean coast of Alexandria prioritizes cumin-scented seafood and pickled lemon, Upper Egyptian Sa'idi cuisine relies heavily on sun-dried okra stews and dense corn flatbreads.
32 recipes across 7 courses
Ask AI for moreBreakfast
Feteer Meshaltet (Egyptian Layered Flaky Pastry)
Paper-thin sheets of laminated dough folded with Egyptian clarified butter, baked blistering hot into an airy, flaky golden disk.
Ful Medames (Slow-Simmered Egyptian Fava Beans)
Velvety, slow-simmered fava beans mashed with cumin, garlic, and rich flaxseed oil, served with warm baladi flatbread.
Shakshuka Masreya (Egyptian Spiced Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Peppers)
A vibrant Egyptian breakfast scramble of eggs softly folded into a rich, cumin-scented tomato, sweet pepper, and onion sofrito.
Soup
Kishk Sa'idi (Sun-Dried Fermented Wheat and Buttermilk Soup with Shredded Chicken)
A velvety, tart Upper Egyptian soup made from fermented wheat spheres, rich poultry broth, milk, and golden caramelized onions.
Molokhia (Jute Leaf Stew with Garlicky Ta'sheya)
Silky, emerald minced jute leaves cooked in poultry broth and finished with a sizzling, fragrant coriander and garlic temper.
Shorbat Lesan Asfour (Orzo Pasta and Chicken Broth)
A soothing, golden Egyptian chicken broth loaded with toasted orzo pearls, fragrant cardamom, mastic, and fresh lemon juice.
Main
Bamia bil-Lahma (Okra and Lamb Stew in Spiced Tomato-Garlic Sauce)
Tender lamb chunks and whole baby okra simmered in a spiced tomato broth finished with a fragrant, sizzling garlic-coriander ta'leya.
Fattah Masreya (Layered Rice, Crisp Flatbread, and Meat with Garlic-Vinegar Sauce)
Tender boiled beef brisket over layered broth-soaked toasted baladi bread and fluffy white rice, crowned with a searing garlic-vinegar sauce and tomato relish.
Feseekh (Fermented Salted Grey Mullet)
Traditional Egyptian cured mullet fermented in sea salt and spices, served with fresh scallions, lemon, and warm flatbread.
Hamam Mahshi (Spiced Freekeh-Stuffed Squab)
Whole tender squabs stuffed with smoky green wheat freekeh and giblets, poached in spiced broth then pan-fried in clarified butter until rich and bronzed.
Mabroum (Nubian Steamed Wheat Pearls with Braised Goat)
Hand-rolled Nubian steamed semolina pearls served atop tender braised spiced goat meat in a rich tomato and onion gravy.
Mahshi Kromb (Egyptian Spiced Rice-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
Tender cabbage parcels packed with tomato-glazed herb rice, slow-steamed in spiced broth with clarified butter.
Mahshi Warak Enab (Grape Leaves Stuffed with Herbed Rice and Minced Meat)
Tender vine leaves tightly rolled around fragrant spiced beef and herbed rice, simmered in rich lemon-infused broth.
Medfouna Bedoueya (Sinai Bedouin Flatbread Stuffed with Meat and Fat)
A smoky, golden Bedouin flatbread encasing spiced lamb, rendered tail fat, and sweet onions baked under hot desert embers.
Sayadeya (Coastal Spiced Rice and Baked Fish)
Crisp whole sea bass atop deeply caramelized brown onion rice infused with cumin and roasted fish stock, served with charred green peppers and lemon.
Side
Aish Baladi (Egyptian Bran-Crusted Flatbread)
The ancient Egyptian daily staple: a high-hydration, whole wheat pita baked on coarse wheat bran until puffed with a hollow steam pocket.
Aish Shamsi (Sun-Risen Sourdough Bread)
An ancient Upper Egyptian sourdough flatbread proofed directly under solar heat to yield a thick, cloud-like crumb and sun-blistered crust.
Besarah (Herbed Split Fava Bean Puree)
A velvety emerald fava bean dip scented with fresh herbs and dried molokhia, crowned with dark, sweet fried onions.
Dukkah (Toasted Nut, Seed, and Cumin Spice Blend)
Aromatic rustic Egyptian blend of dry-roasted hazelnuts, sesame, coriander, and cumin crushed into a fragrant, crunchy dipping condiment.
Mish (Ancient Fermented Salty Cheese)
An ancient, pungent Egyptian cultured cheese aged in clay amphorae with chili, orange peel, and fenugreek to yield a fiery, deeply savory paste.
Dessert
Basbousa (Semolina Honey Cake Soaked in Citrus Floral Syrup)
A glistening semolina cake enriched with clarified butter and drenched in warm orange blossom and honey citrus syrup.
Om Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding with Cream and Nuts)
Flaky baked pastry steeped in fragrant vanilla milk, layered with toasted nuts, coconut, and broiled clotted cream.
Qatayef bil-Muksarat (Crispy Stuffed Sweet Dumplings with Nuts and Syrup)
Crisp, golden fried semolina pockets stuffed with spiced crushed nuts and steeped in thick, fragrant floral sugar syrup.
Roz bil-Laban (Egyptian Creamy Rice Pudding Scented with Mastic)
Silky Egyptian rice pudding simmered in buffalo milk, perfumed with ground mastic and rose water, and chilled under a golden pistachio crown.
Drink
Karkadeh (Egyptian Hibiscus Flower Infusion)
Vibrant ruby-red infusion of whole Nubian hibiscus calyces, perfectly balancing tart floral acidity with sweet, chilled refreshment.
Sahlab (Orchid Tuber Starch Warm Milk Pudding Drink)
Luxurious, comforting Egyptian winter milk beverage thickened with aromatic salep starch and garnished with toasted coconut, nuts, and cinnamon.
Street food
Hawawshi (Spiced Minced Meat-Stuffed Baked Bread)
Crisp, tallow-brushed baladi bread pockets stuffed with raw spiced beef and lamb, baked until succulent and intensely fragrant.
Kebda Eskandarani (Alexandrian Spicy Pan-Fried Beef Liver)
Flash-fried slivers of fresh beef liver infused with crushed garlic, fiery green chilies, cumin, and a sharp hit of fresh lemon juice.
Koshari (Egyptian Rice, Lentil, and Macaroni Bowl with Spiced Dakkah)
Egypt's ultimate street food layering lentils, rice, pasta, and chickpeas under spicy tomato sauce and crisp caramelized onions.
Koshari (Egyptian Rice, Lentil, and Macaroni Medley)
Egypt's iconic street bowl of spiced lentils, rice, pasta, and chickpeas drenched in cumin-garlic sauce and crowned with crispy fried onions.
Mombar (Crispy Spiced Rice-Stuffed Beef Intestines)
Spiced herbed rice loosely stuffed into beef casings, gently simmered until tender, and flash-fried to an irresistible golden crunch.
Ta'ameya (Egyptian Fava Bean Falafel)
Crisp, emerald-green patties of crushed split fava beans, fresh herbs, and leek, coated in toasted sesame and fried to light, airy perfection.