Egypt has its share of eats and treats. Just like in any other Muslim country, pork is not eaten in Muslim households. Egyptians prefer to eat chicken or lamb meat instead.
If you get to visit Egypt, you should never settle for just the pyramids; you should find out how Egyptian food tastes as well. Here are some of the local favorites.
Koshary
This is a traditional Egyptian meal that warms the heart and fills your stomach.
However, people who see and taste this dish for the first time might find the combination of the ingredients a bit odd: The dish is mainly made up of pasta, rice, chick peas, lentil, onions, and garlic, plus a spicy tomato chili sauce to top it all off.
Koshary can be bought almost everywhere in Egypt; you might even spot a small coffee house selling it.
Kahk bi Loz
Kahk bi Loz, or almond bracelets, are really popular at weddings and engagement parties in Egypt. Sweets and treats with almonds, specifically Kahk bi Loz, are passed around while the bride listens to her family members as they give her their messages of love. This is still practiced in Egyptian rural areas.
To make Kahk bi Loz, you need almonds, sugar, egg, and blossom water, all mixed together. Kahk bi Loz should be shaped into small rings that look like bracelets.
Karkady
Egyptians love tea, and one of the all-time favorites in Egypt is karkady, or hibiscus tea. You can easily spot the bright red karkady tea in most cafés and coffee shops in Egypt.
The tea is made from the dark red petals of the hibiscus flower and is brewed just like any other tea.
Although the petals are used in making this tea, almost all other parts of the hibiscus plant are also edible. And in different countries, a different recipe has been developed to fully utilize each part.
Falafel/Tameeya
Tameeya, the Egyptian version of falafel, does not use chickpeas, like in Arab countries. In Egypt, they use fava beans instead. This street food is considered breakfast food but can be found almost any time of the day.
Tameeya is breaded to give it a more delicious and crispy feel. Many cooks dust the tameeya with cumin to give it an added kick, and they to finish it all off by rolling it into flat bread and adding some potatoes. Tameeya is usually fried on the spot and upon order, so you will never get a stale and soggy tameeya sandwich in Egypt.
Stuffed pigeons (hammam mashi)
Some get grossed out at the idea of eating a pigeon, but in Egypt, pigeons are considered a special dish served only on very special occasions. It was considered a delicacy right from the time of the pharaohs.
People who cook this dish just don’t get any type of pigeon they see down the street. The birds used for the dish are raised for the sole purpose of consumption and are then stuffed with rice or cracked wheat. The best side dish to a stuffed pigeon is the broth from which it was boiled, with lots of lemon juice.
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