Egypt is most famous for its pyramids and its contribution to African history; however, its delicacies are a blend of spice, meat, bread, and vegetables that every tourist traveling through Egypt ought to try. Many Egyptian dishes consist solely of legumes, vegetables, and fruit, which vegans and vegetarians will enjoy and appreciate.
Baba Ganoush is a popular vegan sauce eaten in Egypt. It has Lebanese origins but has since been co-opted into Egyptian cuisine. It is a dish made of roasted garden eggs, mashed and mixed with herbs, oil, tahini, spices, and lemon juice. It is usually served cold with bread or as a dip for other meals.
Hummus is an Egyptian staple dip made out of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, cumin, and lemon juice. The earliest recorded recipe for hummus can be traced to a cookbook written in 13th century Cairo. Hummus is commonly garnished with olive oil, herbs, and paprika, paired with bread or falafel.
Egypt has its peculiar bread dish, popularly known as Aish Baladi. Aish means "life," while Baladi means " traditional." It is a whole wheat flatbread baked at high heat and is usually served fresh. In Egypt, this bread acts as an accompaniment and alternatively as a utensil to a prepared dish. In ancient Egypt, the bread was made with emmer wheat and wild yeast and baked in a homemade oven constructed out of red mud from the Nile.
Falafel is one of the most widely-eaten street foods in Egypt. It is one of Egypt's national dishes, and it is made by grinding fava beans, herbs, and spices, then rolling them into balls and deep-frying them until they are golden brown. It is a light meal routinely eaten as breakfast in many Egyptian households. This dish can also be stuffed into bread along with tomatoes, onions, and tahini sauce.
Tourists can also enjoy Egyptian meat dishes such as Bamya, a meat stew made with lamb, okra, peppers, garlic, onions, and cilantro. The stew is popularly eaten with white rice or bread and served with a splash of lemon.
Another Egyptian cuisine is kofta kebab. This meal is made of ground beef, lamb, onions, and garlic seasoned with mint, parsley, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice. The mix is then rolled into balls, which can be skewered and grilled for about four minutes. Kofta Kebab can be paired well with rice or bread. It can also be paired with dips like hummus and cut into salads.
Adventurous tourists can try Mombar, an Egyptian sausage made out of sheep intestines. It is prepared by stuffing sheep intestines with rice, beef, garlic, onions, and seasoning. Egyptians also add herbs like cumin, cilantro, parsley, and coriander. The stuffed intestines are then boiled, then fried till deep brown.
Shawarma is popular street food in many middle eastern countries, including Egypt. Shawarma is made of grilled meat stuffed into flatbread with herbs and seasonings. The maker shaves thin slices of meat off the outer part of the grilling skewer, then prepares a sauce out of local herbs and spices. This sauce is spread onto the flatbread before the meat and herbs are added. The flatbread is then rolled into a tight bun and grilled for a few minutes before serving.
