Egyptian Food

Alright, I still don’t feel like going to bed or doing homework, so you’re getting a double feature the second of which isn't news at all. I've already told you about halawa, but I thought I'd share a few other interesting Egyptian food tidbits as long as I’m thinking about it.

Fruit: is awesome. Mostly. It's all brought from street vendors who got shipments that morning, so it’s very fresh. You can only get what’s in season, but I’ve never been that picky. Oranges and bananas are cheap. Apples are going up in price. Mangoes were always expensive but Egyptian mangoes have this pleasantly spicy flavor that make it worth splurging on occasion. I just had my first Egyptian kiwi, the price of which I didn't check. It tasted like there was no sugar in it, and I don’t plan to buy one again. The dates are fresh, but I don’t like them until they’re dried so I usually buy them pre-packaged anyway.

Meat: is terrible. It's expensive and law grade. Most of my protein comes from eggs, which are cheap and readily available, fava beans, because they're super cheap and delicious, and peanuts, which are cheap for nuts but still not dirt cheap. When I do eat meat it's usually…

Shawarma: See the link for pictures and a detailed description. Because it's meat, it's a bit more expensive than other Egyptian staples, but it's delicious on a sandwich with some garlic mayo and veggies. I always do the chicken.

Koshari: is a favorite of mine. It's carb loaded: mostly macaroni, lentils and rice topped with tomato sauce, but the things Egyptians can do with spices are amazing and the fried onions make it perfect in all senses of the word.

I usually start my day with a plain yogurt and a piece of fruit and get Egyptian fast food, which isn't at all like American fast food for lunch. There is no shortage of food stalls serving shawarma, koshari, and ful (fava beans). I like my ful with humus, which probably comes as no surprise to those of you who know my eating habits. But for fast food it's relatively healthy. Of course, most of these food stalls serve "burgers" that really aren't and french fries too, but I steer clear of those. For dinner I do a variety of things, but in an attempt to watch my weight I've been trying to cook omlettes with some veggies on the side. There isn't a wide variety of vegetables here. If you order a salad you usually get a bowl of chopped of tomatoes and cucumbers. But I'm not complaining. Tomatoes and cucumbers are among my favorite vegetables, ignoring that whole tomatoes are really fruit thing.

Egyptian junk food is a whole nother beast. It's a good thing I don't like potato chips because they're everywhere in a bunch of weird flavors like tomato and pepper. Chocolate is coveted, but expensive. In addition to your regular old chocolate bars in plain, hazlenut, fruit and nut, and crunchy varieties, they also have many American candy bars like Twix and Snickers. I am of the opinion, however, that Egyptian Snickers are far superior to American Snickers. They're made here and they have far more peanuts in them. It's like eating a chocolate covered peanut bar more than anything. Delicious.

Then there's the biscuit category divided into tea biscuits and wafers. I was nearly addicted to wafers when I first got here. They also come in a bunch of flavors. I prefer vanilla, but there's also chocolate and strawberry and lime and probably some others I don't know about.

Ice cream is nearly a staple here. Alexandrian ice cream is unique, and any Alexandrian will tell you so. It's called gellati, like gellato, and it tastes a lot like gelatto to, which is dangerous for those of you who know how much I love gellato. I'm proud to report, however, that I haven't had any in more than a month. Watching the weight, remember? Also, any ice cream store (and there's one on every corner) serves rice pudding and sometimes custard, which is a nice alternative.

I suppose I should mention something about drinking in Egypt too. Bottled water always. Duh. But tea and turkish coffee are also staples. I was drinking tea like it was oxygen, but I've slowed down recently. At least I take it black, so I don't have to worry about the sugar. Egyptians think I'm crazy because here everything is extra sugar. Juice is also very popular. There are little juice bars lining most busy streets. I live by the most popular juice bar in the city, which is nice, but I try not to drink there too often because like I said, extra sugar. They even have something called Borio juice, which in America we would call Oreo juice except the Oreos here are off brand. Cafes also offer a plethora of shakes and cocktails, but at fifteen pounds a pop I've had one since I've gotten here. I'll stick with my two pound tea, thanks.

Sodas are popular, but diet is almost non-existent. They do have Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Seven Up and Coke Zero, but they don't mean exactly the same thing as in America. Sure, they're still made with aspartame, but they're not zero calorie. It doesn't make much of difference - Diet Pepsi only as 6 calories and Coke Zero has two - but I thought it was funny.

And I almost forgot the bread! Probably because it's so essential. It's literally impossible for an Egyptian to have a meal without bread. The bread here is subsidized, so it's the main part of any diet. Flat bread is used like a spoon for most things, but rolls are also available. My favorite bakery makes rolls that taste just like Mom's. It's amazing. I try to stick the wheat flat bread though, health and all. I usually eat it with some cheese or olive oil and zaatar. My Egyptian roommate thinks my love for zaatar is crazy, because it's mostly a levantine thing and not found in Egypt at all. The box I bought at the local supermarket actually says "for the first time in Egypt." She didn't even know what it was when I opened it up, but I still feel Arab when I eat it.

There are, of course, a number of other Egyptian dishes, but I don't eat them that often and as such don't know much about them. Chicken Penne (not the pasta) is very popular. It's pretty much just breaded, fried chicken. My roommate makes it several times a week. Then there's mulukhiyah, which I can't stand. The taste wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the texture. It feels like you're eating slime, and the green color doesn't help.

The cakes here are pretty, usually covered in fruit and chocolate designs, lit with sparklers for birthdays, but the taste is nothing to write home about. They're pretty bland. I haven't tried many of the other pastries, but if I do I'll let you know. There's a crepe stand outside one of the food stalls I frequent. It's not Egyptian, but I did get a delicious chocolate banana crepe there to celebrate our sale to the American House of English last week. There's also a table of donuts, but I haven't tried any and my friends tell me they're hit and miss. The donut guy is more popular for his balah al-sham which are kind of like bite size, honey covered funnel cakes. I tried one of my friend's, but I've never bought a plate for myself. They're tasty, but not my favorite.

Speaking of honey, it's expensive. I used to have some for breakfast on my flat bread, but I've given it up in the name of cost effectiveness. On occasion I'll put some in my tea, but it's rare.

Alright, I'm finally getting tired, and I can't think of any other food tidbits to offer up at the moment. Hopefully I've given you a good glance into a day in the life of my ever growing stomach. People complain about Egyptian food, but I think it's wonderful. It's simple, but they've done a lot with what they have. As always, questions and comments are welcome. I know there were some problems at first, but I've opened up the comments section for anonymous postings. If you sign with your name though it will help me know how to respond.

Thanks for reading!