Egyptian Cuisine

Falafel
Kofta (lamb & beef) kababs
Kanafeh (similar to baklava)

Egyptian food is similar to food in other Mediterranean countries. If you’ve traveled in the Middle East or Turkiye, you will find the food similar — lots of fresh vegetables, stewed together, with a bit of meat for seasoning. Salads of greens or fruit, breads, fresh fish and fresh meats of all sorts (most popular are chicken, mutton, and beef), as well as dairy (yogurt, cheese, and butter), tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, and cheese are common dishes.

Breakfast in all TOET tour hotels is a large buffet of cereal, eggs, meat, fruit, cheese, yogurt, and breads. Egyptians eat beans (“fuul”), tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers for breakfast.

Other meals consist of a round flatbread, rice, beans, an array of fresh vegetables, and a little meat for seasoning. Egyptian cuisine has a lot of onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and potatoes. In general it is not very spicy, although a few select dishes can be quite hot!

Fuul
Koshary
Sahlab

For the vegetarian tourist, enjoy almost any dish made to order without meat.

In Alexandria, we highly recommend the fresh seafood of all types which is always available.

Dessert is fruit or various types of cakes with a honey syrup on it (think baklava), with coffee or tea.

The national drink of Egypt is chai (also pronounced shai) — tea. It is often brewed very strong and is served with sugar. Mint tea is also popular. Coffee is always available, but tea is the norm. Another popular drink is sahlab, a hot, sweet coconut drink often served with peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or raisins. Each establishment is justifiably proud of its own version of sahlab.

Foods to try in Egypt:

  • Fuul (beans)
  • Egyptian “pizza”
  • Koshary (a mixture of lentils, noodles, rice, chickpeas, and vermicelli)
  • flatbread dipped in various sauces
  • halawa (similar to a crumbly peanut butter)