The 20 most famous dishes of Egypt
Egyptian cooking is one of the oldest cuisines on earth, built on legumes, bread, vegetables and the bounty of the Nile; from Cairo's streets came dishes now loved across the Arab world.
1Koshari
Egypt's best-loved street food: rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas topped with spicy tomato sauce, crispy…
2Ful Medames
Egypt's everyday breakfast for millennia: slow-cooked fava beans mashed and dressed with oil, lemon and…
3Ta'ameya (Egyptian Falafel)
Egyptian falafel is made from split fava beans rather than chickpeas, so it is bright green inside and…
4Molokhia
Finely chopped jute leaves cooked in chicken or rabbit broth and finished with a sizzling garlic-coriander…
5Mahshi (Stuffed Vegetables)
Courgettes, aubergines, peppers and vine leaves stuffed with rice seasoned with tomato and herbs, then…
6Fatta
Egypt's feast-day dish: layers of toasted bread and rice soaked in meat broth and garlic-vinegar sauce,…
7Hawawshi
Baladi bread stuffed with minced meat spiced with onion, peppers and spices, baked until the bread crisps and…
8Feteer Meshaltet
A flaky, many-layered country pastry made with ghee, eaten with honey and cream or with cheese.
9Om Ali
A warm Egyptian dessert of pastry or croissant pieces soaked in sweet milk with nuts and coconut, baked until…
10Macarona Béchamel
Baked penne layered with tomato-spiced minced meat and blanketed in thick béchamel until golden.
11Sayadeya
Alexandria's seafood classic: fried fish with brown rice cooked in caramelised onion, fish stock and cumin.
12Stuffed Pigeon (Hamam Mahshi)
Pigeons stuffed with freekeh or spiced rice, simmered then roasted until the skin crisps — a celebration…
13Grilled Kofta
Fingers of minced meat with onion, parsley and spices, grilled over charcoal and served with tahini and salad.
14Basbousa
Golden semolina cake drenched in syrup after baking and topped with almonds.
15Kunafa
Shredded pastry browned in ghee and filled with cream or nuts, soaked in syrup — the star of Ramadan tables.
16Roz bel Laban
Rice slow-cooked in milk with sugar and rose water, served cold with cinnamon or nuts.
17Bamia
A stew of baby okra and meat in tomato and garlic sauce, eaten with white rice.
18Egyptian Eggah
A thick Egyptian omelette of eggs, parsley, onion and a little flour, fried as patties or baked in a tray.
19Goullash (Meat Filo Pie)
Crisp filo layers filled with spiced minced meat, brushed with ghee and baked until golden.
20Fesikh & Renga
Fermented salted mullet and smoked herring, the traditional Sham el-Nessim spring dish since pharaonic times,…