Egyptian Food

Today we will take you along in the world of the Egyptian cuisine.  Every meal starts here with the words "bel hana wel shefa" which means translated "Enjoy your meal" or with "bism ellah" which means "in the name of god".  The Egyptian food has a lot of different dishes – here are the famous once.

 

Molokhya - Is a green soup which is made by the leaves of Corchorus species. Molokhya is rather bitter, and when boiled, the resulting liquid is a thick, highly mucilaginous broth. It is generally eaten cooked, not raw, and is most frequently turned into a kind of soup or stew.

 "Bird's tongue" soup – Shorba lesan asfour:  Bird's tongue looking at the first sight like rice, but are a kind of pasta. The bird's tongue soup is made with carrots, oil, salt, black pepper, maggie, fresh parsley or fresh coriander.

 

Lentil soup - shorbt 3asd:  The famous, spicy, red lentil soup is made with onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic and the spices cumin, coriander, ancho chile. As side dish roasted bread – that's how you can find it every where in Egypt.

Oriental bread - Eish Masri or Eish Balad Bread is consumed at almost all Egyptian meals.  The arabs are using the bread often instead of a fork or spoon. The local bread is a form of hearty, thick, glutenous pita bread. Very famous it is also to eat Tahina, Baba Ghanoush and Labneh with bread.

Tahina -  Tahina is a sesame paste dip or spread made of sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. 

Baba ghanoush - A condiment made with eggplants, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, cumin and oil.

 

Labneh - Labneh is a type of soft cheese made from plain yogurt.  It is a popular mezze dish in the Middle East.

 

Mahshy -  Mahshy are vine leaves, which are stuffed with mixed rice, tomatoes, onions, parsley and dill. They are famous in the whole orient – mostly just under other names.

 Kooshery -  Kushari is an Egyptian dish of rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni topped with tomato sauce and fried onion. Also optionally, with garlic. Egypt has a lot of Kushari restaurants, who are really just serving this famous Egyptian, vegetarian dish.

 

Hawawshi - is an Egyptian meat sandwich made with ground beef, onions, and spices all mixed together and tucked between a piece of flat bread. You can also make hawaashi with other kinds of fillings like cheese and other ingredients that you might like.

                                                                                  

Meat balls – kufta - consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions. The meat can also be mixed with other ingredients such as rice, bulgur, vegetables, or eggs to form a smooth paste, and can be grilled, fried, steamed, poached, baked or marinated, and may be served with a rich spicy sauce.

Shawarma - Lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit in restaurants), and may be grilled for as long as a day. Shavings are cut off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit. It can be served in shavings on a plate, or as a pita bread sandwich or wrap made with shawarma meat. Shawarma is eaten with tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato, and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus, pickled turnips and amba.

Fūl medammis, or simply fūl - is an Egyptian/Sudanese dish of cooked and mashed fava beans (in Egypt the bean is known as fūl ḥammām). The beans are cooked until very soft and served with olive oil, chopped parsley, onion, garlic, and lemon juice. The roots of fūl medammis can be traced to Pharaonic Egypt. To eat ful, Egyptians use the bread as a spoon.

Falafael – Ta’amiya is a deep-fried ball or patty made from cooked fava beans ground together with various ingredients such as parsley, scallions, and garlic. Spices such as cumin and coriander are often added to the beans for added flavor. The mixture is then shaped into balls or patties and then deep fried. The inside of falafel may be green (from green herbs such as parsley or green onion), or tan. It is often served in a pita or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. During Ramadan, falafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset.

Okra – Bamiya is a stew consisting of meat – lamb or beef –onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, tomatoes and of course okra. Okra is edible green seed pods, known to many as Lady’s fingers or gumbo. This dish is popular throughout the Middle East, and is served with rice.

Fattah - is a mixture of meat cubes embedded in rice and crusted pita pieces in soup. It is a traditional meal that is enjoyed by all Egyptian and is considered the most famous dish in Egypt. It is served in the bairam feast (an Islamic holy feast after the month of Ramadan) but it can also be served at any time of the year.

Basbousa - Basbūsah is a sweet cake made of semolina or farina soaked in syrup. Coconut is a popular addition. The syrup may also optionally contain orange flower water or rose water.

Kanafeh – Konafa is a traditional Arab cheese pastry soaked in sweet syrup. The pastry is made from long thin noodle threads which is heated with butter, margarine or palm oil, and then spread with soft white cheese and topped with more pastry.