Egyptian food
Egyptian food tends to be simple, hearty and filling, heavy on the oil and spices (though rarely spicy, as in fiery). Bread is a massive part of the Egyptian diet, and the country has one of the highest (if not the highest) per capita consumption in the world. In fact, the Egyptian word for bread is the same as for life – ‘eesh. It mainly falls into two categories: thick, wholegrain “baladi” bread; and thinner, white shami bread, a bit like pita bread.
Two traditional dishes, often eaten for breakfast, include fuul and taamiya. Fuul is a sort of stew made of fava beans, either mashed up or served whole, and ranges from the rather bland to the deliciously spiced. Taamiya is the Egyptian version of falafel – mashed up and deep fried bean (usually chickpea) patties.
Both fuul and taamiya sandwiches are available at hole-in-the-wall restaurants on almost every street in Cairo, and cost next to nothing. It’s best to buy these from a busy restaurant, as early in the day as possible (they’re disgusting if they’ve been lying around for a while), and if you have a sensitive stomach, it might be sensible to exercise some caution. One of the most famous, and cleanest, places to get fuul and taamiya is at Felfela – an Egyptian fast food chain that has branches all over the place, including Downtown Cairo and by the Pyramids. (Be warned – the one at the Pyramids is very touristy.)
The closest thing Egypt has to a national dish is koshary. This is a carbohydrate bomb, usually made out of different types of pasta, lentils, chickpeas, fried onions and tomato salsa. You can also add a potent chilli sauce (careful, it’s as evil as it looks!), and a pungent mix of lime juice and garlic known as da’a. Koshary tastes a lot better than it sounds, is extremely filling, and very cheap – a large dish will rarely be more than around 5 LE.
Like fuul and taamiya, koshary is available at street restaurants all over Cairo. Downtown in particular has some of the best koshary joints. Probably the most famous in Cairo, if not the world, is Abu Tarek. The Al-Omda chain also does a decent bowl, and you can add chicken or meat to it.
Another common form of street food is shawarma – a chicken or meat (meat in Egypt effectively means beef) sandwich, where the flesh is cut from a sizzling, revolving spit, a bit like a donner kebab. Slightly less common and a little more expensive than other street foods, you still won’t have to go far before you bump into a shwarma joint. Gad is probably the most famous of the chains that serve them.
Finally, standard kebab and kofta are also pretty common, usually sold by the kilo. The best ones are grilled over charcoal. You’ll also notice lots of tiny restaurants serving spit-roasted chickens. A whole chicken, with bread, salad and rice, will usually cost around 25 LE.
Most decent Egyptian/Oriental restaurants will offer some variation of the above foods, though at a higher cost. Mezzes, especially tahina (sesame seed paste) and baba ghanoush (aubergine) are also common; hummus less so. Restaurants such as Abou Shakra (just next to Garden City), Cedars (in Mohandiseen), Andrea (in Giza), Al-Omda (all over the place) and Alfi Bey (Downtown) are good mid-range Oriental style restaurants.
Other typical Egyptian foods include fattah – a mix of rice, bread and meat, served with a tomato sauce (a bit like an Egyptian Biryani) – and feteer. Feteers are also known as Egyptian pancakes, pies or pizzas, though they most resemble a heavy, stuffed crepe. You can have them sweet or savoury. Cheap, cheerful and ubiquitous, there are a number of joints Downtown that serve them, and of course the ever-famous Egyptian Pancake House in Khan al-Khalili.
Desserts are usually super-sweet. Mihallabiya is a kind of sweet cross between rice pudding and blancmange, sometimes seasoned with nuts and raisins. Umm Ali is a very typical Egyptian pudding, like mushy, milky bread pudding mixed with nuts and raisons.
Finally, special mention must go to molokhiya. Molokhiya, also known as Jew’s Mallow, is as Egyptian as the Pyramids. It’s a slimy green vegetable that is not dissimilar to spinach, and is usually served as a gloopy soup, along with rice and a meat such as rabbit. It has a most disturbing texture, and is a rather acquired taste, but is as traditional as it comes. A good place to try Molokhiya is at Abou el Sid restaurant in Zamalek. This is one of the best, and most famous, traditional Egyptian restaurants in Cairo.
Note that Cairo is not the best city in the world for vegetarians. With all the fuul, taamiya and koshary knocking around, you’re not going to starve, but your options will be limited in most places. L’Aubergine in Zamalek used to be an exclusively vegetarian restaurant, though it now serves meat dishes too. It does, however, still have an OK choice of veggie stuff. Mezza Luna, also in Zamalek, is also a good choice for some mouth-watering meatless pasta dishes.
Drinks
Sweet, black tea is the most common drink. Sweet here means at least two, and possibly as many as four sugars! Most restaurants are used to foreigners’ strange ways, and will bring the sugar separately. They might even offer you milk, though mint would be a more normal accompaniment here!
Hot on the heels of tea, is thick, grainy Turkish coffee. Also usually served sweet, this tiny shot would kick the living caffeine out of a double espresso if it came down to a celebrity coffee death match. Just make sure not to swallow the grains – they are left in the bottom of the glass.
Nescafe is commonly available, and considered a delicacy, and the normal range of espressos and lattes will be found in any posh joint.
Fresh juices are served everywhere, both in restaurants and at street stalls. Lemon, sugarcane and mango tend to be available year round. Others, such as pomegranate and watermelon, are seasonal.
Egyptians also drink some other, slightly more unusual drinks. Karkade is an infusion made out of hibiscus leaves. Served hot or cold, it’s like Egyptian Ribena, and is said to be very good for the heart and blood pressure. Infusions of aniseed and fennel are also quite common, and sahlab is a thick, custardy drink that is perfect for cold winter days.
And yes – alcohol is widely available, both in restaurants and bars, and from some bottle shops. See the nightlife section for more details!
Western food
You’ll find loads of decent foreign cuisine all over Cairo, especially in areas such as Zamalek, Mohandiseen and Maadi, and in the posh hotels. Italian is particularly popular, though there is also a fair amount of French, Chinese, Indian, and even some excellent Thai. Bizarrely, Cairo is pretty good for affordable sushi, and there is an excellent Swiss restaurant called Little Swiss down in Maadi, if you fancy a touch of fondue. If you are craving a steak, head to Steak Out in Dokki, or Le Steak in Zamalek. Fuddruckers and Lucille’s do particularly good burgers.
Fast food such as McDonald’s, KFC, Hardee’s and Pizza Hut is everywhere, especially around Downtown, Dokki, Mohandiseen and Heliopolis. There is even a Pizza Hut opposite the Pyramids!
Eating out and staying in
Egyptians tend to go out to eat very late. It’s not unusual to see families – with children – settling down to eat their evening meal at 10.30, or even later!
If you are lucky enough to be invited to an Egyptian’s house for lunch or dinner – go! All of the local foods described above are much tastier when they made in the family kitchen according to the old family recipe, and it’s a great chance to get to know more about Egyptian culture.
Do try a little of the wide range of dishes you will no doubt be presented with. Don’t, however, stuff yourself, because the food will keep coming, and coming, and coming…! You don’t need to finish everything put in front of you. In fact, if you do, more will be brought out, since it is the host’s responsibility to ensure their guest is satisfied, and Egyptian’s take hospitality very seriously.
Depending on where you are, you may be eating with your hands. This is quite normal. Since Egyptians use their left hand in the toilet, you’ll find some will avoid using it when eating (except, perhaps, to help with tearing bread). Don’t worry too much if you find this difficult, because the majority of people ignore this custom anyway.
Finally, it’s polite to take along some sort of gift for the family if you are invited to their home for dinner. A package of Arabic sweets from the local bakery, or a bunch of flowers, should do the trick. Enjoy!
The drinking and dining venues in Cairo are as diverse as its population. You can eat fuul and taameya sandwiches for EGP.5 (50 piastres) each, a bowl of koshary (all good vegan food) for about EGP1.50 or have an international three-course meal in a five-star hotel for EGP350 and up; the choice is yours.
Fuul (mashed beans) and taameya (fried bean patties) are traditional working-class Egyptian fare, and are common breakfast dishes. They are usually served in aish shami, the local equivalent of pita bread. Some of the dirtiest, most unhealthy-looking eateries in Cairo serve the best fuul and taameya, although you just might feel as though you're taking your life in your hands by eating in them! Koshary is usually eaten as a lunch dish, and is the original Egyptian fast food. Its main ingredients are macaroni and rice covered with salsa (tomato sauce) with a sprinkling of fried onion, hummus and lentils. If you're in a koshary restaurant and applying your own sauce, be sure to shake the bottle VERY well. The other optional extra is chili sauce (the dark red stuff) and, yes, it is as hot as it looks.
Downtown
A tub of take-away koshary costs anywhere from EGP1 to EGP2.50, depending on the establishment and the portion. Some of the best kofta and grilled chicken can be found at the quaint Alfi Bey. One of the best (and certainly one of the cleanest) fuul and taameya establishments is Felfela, which has a sit-down restaurant, a take-away service, and a koshary restaurant. Felfela serves the cleanest and cheapest Egyptian food in town but be warned - during the peak season literally bus loads of tourists turn up so it can get pretty crowded. There is, however, another branch in the Pyramids. Of particular note is Le Grillon and for old world charm, try the Odeon Palace Bar.
Old Cairo
A very famous coffee shop that has been open for 200 years is El Fishawi in Khan El-Khalili. You get all the usual ahwa drinks here with the added "advantage" that the world will come to you. This is only an advantage if you enjoy dead foxes, wallets, "cigarette shishas" and trinkets waved under your nose continuously. In addition, it's more expensive than most other ahwas.
Giza
Other popular Egyptian dishes are kofta and grilled chicken, usually found in restaurants that serve just that, with a selection of salads, usually green salad, hummus, baba ghanoush (eggplant mashed up with tahini), torshi (pickles) and bread. A good place to try these dishes is the family-friendly Andrea. There's also what Egyptians translate as "Egyptian pizzas," which should perhaps just be referred to as fiteer as they appear to bear no resemblance to pizza. Fiteer can be eaten sweet or savory, and they're made while you wait. You order your fiteer and chose what you want in/on it from the ingredients in the bowls in the work area. br>
Mohandissen
Of course, Cairo offers cuisine from all over the world, not just Egypt. For Indian food, try the excellent Kandahar, which also features live music. Prestige is an Italian restaurant and pizzeria that plays pop music over their speakers. For Mediterranean and Turkish dishes served in a rustic interior try Ataturk Restaurant and Grill. Tornado is a cafe that is popular among the young and fashionable for its hip atmosphere.
Heliopolis
Rossini is an all exclusive and rather expensive place to enjoy a meal. The Grand Cafe is set in a beautiful garden, and is a great place to spend the afternoon. Lebanese cuisine can be found at Al-Dalouna, a restaurant popular among families, while Chicken Tikka serves up local dishes in an American-themed dining room. La Casetta is an Italian restaurant that specializes in making your meal and evening as enjoyable and romantic as possible.
Restaurants
Cairo has seen an explosion in the number of restaurants serving Western food in recent years. Between a well-paid expat community and economic growth that favors the upper classes, there has been a steady increase in demand and good support for new places that can deliver a decent dining experience. The main eating district is the upmarket island district of Zamalek, where a core of well-established places is regularly supplemented by new trendy eateries (of which a few survive to become part of the established list).
