Monday, June 15, 2015

10 Dishes You Must Eat While in Egypt

People usually ask me to recommend tourist attractions in Egypt. I always recommend food first. That's right, Egyptian food comes before the pyramids, the Nile and ancient temples. Why? Because Egyptian food is delicious, and you should do a food tour around the country.

Here's 10 traditional Egyptian dishes you can't miss:

1- Kabab and kofta: chunks of beef and beef fingers that were spiced and grilled slowly on a coal grill. 
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2- Mombar: rice sausages boiled then fried in deep oil. 
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3- Molokhia: smashed jute leaves, cooked with garlic and chicken broth (the most commonly used broth for this soup) It's also considered the national dish of Egypt. Could be vegetarian if the chef used a vegetable stock. 
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4- Alexandrian cow liver: cut to small pieces and cooked with butter, green chilies and onions. One of my favorite street foods. 
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5- Shawarma: you can get beef or chicken shawarma from pretty much any street in Egypt, I love it when it's served in hotdog buns with pickles.
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For vegetarians, you can get my vegetarians' Egyptian food guide on Amazon.com


6- Stuffed and deep fried fish: mackerel fish stuffed with a mix of parsley, garlic and spices. Powdered with flour and deep fried, served with caramelized onion and turmeric rice and green salad.
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7- Macarona bi al-bechamel: two layers of penne pasta, stuffed with ground beef and covered with bechamel sauce. 
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8- Fatta: many cook this dish to celebrate a religious holiday, like the feast or Ramadan. A layer of Egyptian toasted bread, a layer of rice, topped with chunks of beef, then pour a scoop of soup and a scoop of garlic and tomato salsa. 
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9- Renga: salted and smocked herring fish served with lemon, tahini sauce and Egyptian whole wheat and bran bread. Egyptians love eating it on Sham El-Nassim day, spring festival. 
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10- Last but not least, Foul Medammes: we eat this dish every day for breakfast. It's fava beans simmered slowly and spiced with salt, cumin, chili powder and lemon juice. Served with tahini, oil, bread. 
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Writing this list makes me hungry!