Kushari
If Egypt has an official national dish, it would be kushari. This mixed dish of rice, macaroni, noodles, and lentils make up the main ingredients of Kushari.
Topped with tomato sauce, chickpeas, garlic-vinegar sauce, crispy fried onions.
Kushari is a perfect dish for vegans and vegetarians.
Foul (Beans)
Foul medames
Foul competes with Kushari as Egyptian most popular dish but Foul is mostly for breakfast, Some writers deem that Foul is among the earliest meals created in the country. They believe that it was first prepared as early as the ancient times.
Cooked fava beans are the primary ingredient for foul. It may be served with egg or vegetable slices. Cumin, chili pepper, onion, garlic, parsley and vegetable oil are added to make it more flavorful.
Molokhiya
Molokhiya
Molokhiya green soup, historians argue about the origins of molokhiya. Some believe it came from Ancient Egypt while others think it’s from Ancient India.
Regardless of its origins, molokhiya is a nutritious dish you should try at least once. That dish made of finely chopped mallow leaves are mixed with coriander and garlic. The soup is based on chicken or beef broth in Cairo and upper Egypt, in Alexandria and coastal cities they use rabbits or shrimps broth and even from fish.
Mesaqa’ah
This Egyptian dish is the local version of moussaka, deemed to be a dish from Middle East and Greece.
Mesaqa’ah made of fried eggplant slices along with slices of onion, chili pepper, and green pepper. Afterwards, the fried slices are soaked in tomato sauce. Then, the slices are stacked together; cooked ground beef may be added as well.
Mahashi (Dolma)
Mahshi
Mahashi or dolma belongs to the family of stuffed dishes commonly found in Mediterranean countries. The stuffing is made from a mixture of rice, onion, crushed tomatoes, and various herbs and spices.
Once the said ingredients are blended well, they are stuffed into vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, green and colored bell pepper and even tomato. The stuffing may also be wrapped in cabbage or grape leaves.
The stuffed vegetables are cooked in a pot. The pot is filled with either beef or chicken broth.
Shorbet Ads (Lentil soup)
Shorbet ads, as its name suggests, lentils, particularly the yellow ones, are the primary ingredient for this dish. Garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice make up the rest of the ingredients.
Also it could be vegetarian fattah if you add prebaked pieces of eish baladi (local bread) topped with tomato garlic sauce.
Qolqas (Taro)
Qolqas
Taro roots are peeled, sliced boiled and fried as preparation for qolqas. They may come with tomato slices or chard leaves. Chopped parsley may or may not be sprinkled over the taro roots before serving.
Sabanekh (Spinach)
Sabanekh isn’t originally an Egyptian dish. However, it’s adopted as one of the favorite foods in a country that loves vegetables more.
Sabanekh is basically a spinach stew. It’s best eaten along with rice. It usually comes with small beef chunks.
Shakshouka
Shakshouka
Poached eggs and tomato sauce make up a yummy combination. This dish is called shakshouka. Its name is taken from the Arabic slang meaning mixture. This dish is made more palatable thanks to onions and chili peppers. Nutmeg, paprika, cumin, and cayenne powder are the typical spices used to prepare shakshouka.
Ta’mia (Falafel)
Falafel
Do you have a kid who despises vegetables? You might want to trick him or her into eating peas or beans by serving falafel. The dish isn’t just for the picky kid, though. You can also devour a plate of it.
Also dubbed as ta’mia, falafel looks a lot like fried meatballs or beef patties. In reality, though, it’s made from fava beans, chickpeas or a mixture of both. This dish may be dipped in tahini or wrapped in eish baladi.
Kofta
Egyptian Kofta
Meat-lovers also have many Egyptian dishes to enjoy. One of these is kofta.
Kofta is a meatloaf type of dish. The main ingredient may be camel meat, lamb meat, beef or chicken. Non-Muslims often use pork as well.
The meat is first minced. Salt, cumin, nutmeg, black pepper, garlic, onion and parsley are added to the minced meat. Once blended, the mixture is divided and shaped like cigars. Afterwards, the cigar-shaped minced meat is grilled over charcoal.
The finished product may be dipped in tahini sauce. Kofta can serve as part of the main course or as an appetizer.
Shawarma
Shawarma
Nowadays, shawarma (also spelled as shawerma) is sold in many cities around the world. It’s one of the most popular Egyptian food out there. In the past, only restaurants offer it. These days, though, shawarma is regarded as a common street food.
Shawarma is prepared by stacking chicken or beef meat slices in a metal spit. Doing so enables the cook to roast the meat vertically. The meat may be roasted using a handheld torch, a built-in grill or both.
Once grilled, the exciting part happens. The meat slices are further sliced. The server usually does some kind of a knife show. The little chunks of meat are stuffed in a wrap or bread.
Egyptian Kebabs
Egyptian Kebabs
Kebabs are a staple in American backyard gatherings. Almost all countries around the world have their version. Egypt is no exemption.
Egyptian kebab features slices of beef and/or lamb meat on skewers. The said meat is typically marinated using olive oil, salt, and cumin. Like the kebab you’ve prepared before, Egyptian kebabs are grilled over charcoal.
Fattah
Egyptian Lamb Fattah
There are certain Egyptian dishes that are only prepared and consumed for an occasion. Fattah is among those dishes.
Compared to other meals on this list, fattah is far easier to make. Firstly, cooked chunks of lamb meat, prebaked pieces of bread, and cooked rice are mixed together soaked with broth. They are coated with vinegar-based condiments and/or tomato sauce before serving.
Fattah can come with lamb meat, beef, Shawarma Kaware (cow’s trotters).
Torly (mixed vegetables)
Torly
Meat and vegetables are used together to make this dish. Beef and lamb meat are the usual kinds of meat sought for torly. As for the vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, squash, and green beans form part of the main ingredients. Additional ingredients include vegetable oil, tomato sauce, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, and chili pepper.
The seasoned meat and vegetables are cooked separately at first. Afterwards, the cooked ingredients are prepared into layers in a baking tray. The final step is baking them for half an hour.
Torly is one of the Egyptian dishes you can modify in numerous ways. You can make your own version featuring other vegetables. You may also use chicken or pork instead of lamb meat or beef. You may even add shrimp and other types of seafood. That’s what Egyptians living near coastlines do.
Bamia Bi-lahm (Okra with meat)
In Arabic, bamia literally entails cooked okra. However, this dish variation, known as bamia bi-lahm, features lamb meat as one of the main ingredients.
This stew requires long cooking times. Thus, if the cook doesn’t get the timing right, the meat may end up getting overcooked. Instead of the lamb meat, some locals lamb tendons which can withstand extensive cooking hours.
Tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, cardamom and vegetable oil add flavors and texture to the dish.
Hawawshi
Hawawshi
Satisfy your cravings for a savory snack with the help of hawawshi. This food is made from minced meat. Parsley, pepper, onion, and chili ensure the savory taste of the meat. Once these ingredients are mixed, they are filled in local bread or dough and baked.
Many restaurants in Egypt sell this dish. It’s typically bought as take-away food though. It is very popular Egyptian Food.
Kamounia
Kamounia
Kamounia is a type of stew that requires meat and offal. Beef and liver are the commonly used ingredients. These are seasoned using cumin. oil, parsley, garlic and beef broth are also sought for this dish.
If you want something more exciting, you can try the kamounia that features bull’s genitals as one of the ingredients. If you can’t take that, enjoy this stew along with a serving of rice.
Keshk
Keshk
Kashk may refer to three different food products. The first one is a milk-based food or drink. The second is any food based on flour and barley broth. The last involves food made from a mixture of curdled milk and cereals. The Egyptian dish keshk is derived from kashk that entails milk-based food.
Dried yogurt and flour are the main ingredients for keshk, which is a type of pudding. Fried onions may be added to add some zing to the dish’s savory taste. It may also be cooked with chicken broth for a richer flavor.
Egyptian Goulash
Goulash
Goulash is originally a Hungarian stew. However, you can trust Egyptians to put their own twist on the said dish.
The Egyptian goulash is better known as phyllo meat pie. It’s a pretty complicated dish to make. However, it’ll be worth it because the result is a flaky, savory pie that will make you feel full for several hours.
Tagines
Tagine
A tagine is an important part of the culture for hundreds of years. it refers to a type of North African cookware traditionally made of pottery. it’s a shallow circular dish used for both cooking and serving.
The word tagine also refers to the succulent, stew-like dish which is slow-cooked in the traditional cookware. Typically, a tagine is a rich mixture of meat, poultry, or fish, and most often includes vegetables. Vegetables may also be cooked alone in the tagine.
Hamam Mahshi
Hamam mahshi
Hamam mahshi is a little different from the mahshi dish. The former’s defining characteristic is the usage of squab, or domesticated pigeon. In contrast, mahshi uses vegetables and leaves.
Like the standard mahshi, hamam mahshi is filled with stuffing. Then, it’s marinated and roasted in an oven. It’s similar to the roasted chicken and turkey in the West.
Eggah
Eggah
Eggah is a type of omelet. Aside from eggs, flour and parsley are sought to make this meal. In addition to the typical herbs and spices used, raisins and pine nuts may be added to this omelet.
As a versatile dish, it can be served as a snack, a breakfast food, or a part of the main course. You may also find it as a side dish or appetizer.
Kaware
kaware
The use of cow’s trotters is the highlight of kaware. The feet of the cattle are made to boil in preparation for this dish. The resulting soup may be served along with or separately from the cooked cow’s trotters.
If you’re in a little honeymoon in Cairo or Alexandria, you might want to include kaware for your dinner. It may not suit an evening date with your partner, but you can benefit from its aphrodisiac properties.
Mombar
Mombar
If you love offal, you’re bound to enjoy mombar. This dish is made from sheep or cow intestines. In other Arab countries like Algeria, Libya, and Syria, beef sausage may be used as an alternative to sheep offal. The intestines or beef sausage is usually filled with rice mixture and fried.
Also called fawaregh, the Egyptian variant uses tomatoes, coriander, garlic, and onion. Additional ingredients include oil, tomato sauce and different spices. The usual spices used are cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Mombar is best served when hot. It normally takes an hour to cook in a pot. Afterwards, it’s either baked or heated in a frying pan to achieve that brown color.
Kersha
Kersha
Kersha is an offal-based Egyptian dish. Its main ingredient is from the edible stomach linings of cow and sheep. This form of offal is known as tripe.
Kersha is simply a tripe stew. Because it’s made from offal, it’s often considered as one of the challenging food to eat in the world.
Kebda Eskandarani (Alexandrian livers)
Kebda Eskandarani
Alexandria is recognized locally for its seafood-based cuisines. However, the city has a lot to offer aside from those. One of its prized food is kebda eskandarani.
The dish is a hit or miss for the locals. After all, it got a slight bitter taste. The bitterness comes from the main ingredient which is cow liver.
Kebda eskandarini is a kind of liver sandwich. Despite not being a total favorite, many fast-food chains in Alexandria offer this.
Sayadiyah
Sayadiyah
The locals living in Egyptian coastlines take pride in this dish. Some restaurants may offer sayadiyah. But it’s not as palatable as the one served in Alexandria and other areas near the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.
Sayadiyah is relatively a simple dish. Rice, onion, and tomato paste make up its main ingredients. Fish is optional, except when the dish is prepared in Egyptian coastlines. Salt, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, coriander and garlic powder are the usual seasonings used for this dish.
Bluefish, bass, tilapia and mullet are among the fish added in sayadiyah. The fish is fried separately, but it’s added to the plate of the cooked rice. With or without fish, this dish will be one of your favorites if you’re into spicy meals.
Fesikh
Grey mullet is the primary ingredient for fesikh. To prepare the said meal, the fish is fermented, salted, and dried. For the locals who don’t live near the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, they use whitefish as replacement for mullet.
Fesikh is a celebratory dish. It’s traditionally consumed during Sham el-Nessim (Easter Monday), a national day in Egypt signaling the start of spring season.
Salata Baladi
Salata Baladi
Salata baladi is a form of salad that’s often served along with other starters. Cucumber, chili, onion, and tomatoes are sought to create this salad. The dressing is usually made from cumin, coriander, parsley, vinegar, and oil.
Macaroni Béchamel
