Egyptian culinary traditions evolved over centuries of trade and invasions. Contemporary Egyptian food includes many dishes and drinks that may be familiar to non-Egyptians because they have been popularised by Egyptians who settled in other countries, for example, falafel, shawarma, and Roz Balaban (rice pudding).
However, there are dishes you won’t have tried before and diversity in how certain dishes are prepared in different cities or areas.
Although meals are included in most of our tours, our tour guides can also give you recommendations of foods you should try and the best places to eat. From large restaurants to cafes, meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans can all be satisfied with variety.
We encourage you to eat cooked food rather than uncooked and to avoid salads. Avoid juices except lemon juice made with bottled water. As a precaution, don’t eat raw vegetables or fruits that you can’t peel.
Read more about Egyptian food and drink
The mix of cultures and trade across Egypt’s history ensured a wonderful, diverse cuisine, with many traditional favorites and contemporary twists that are seeing assumptions of what Egyptian food is changed. Foods familiar from various Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines appear on Egyptian menus.
Foods you should try:
Molokhia: dark green soup, with a distinctive taste and texture. Made from a type of leafy plant which is cooked in broth. It is delicious with rice and chicken.
Koshari: lentils and rice combined with chickpeas and small pasta, which may sound bland but with a tasty tomato sauce and topped with a scattering of crisp thin fried onion they are a stomach filler and perfect comfort food. You can add vinegar or chili to your taste.
Taa’meya: falafel
Ful: fava beans cooked until soft, almost a dip consistency
Excellent seafood, especially in Alexandria and the Red Sea cities
BBQed meats
Pigeon: an Egyptian specialty stuffed with seasoned rice
Feteer meshaltet (often just called Feteer): a flaky layered pastry that can be ordered savory or sweet
Mahshi: vegetables such as courgette/zucchini stuffed with rice, seasoned with crushed tomatoes, onion, parsley, dill, salt, pepper and spices. They are cooked in a pot with chicken broth or beef broth.
Hawawshi: similar to a pita stuffed with minced meat and spiced with onions, pepper, parsley, and occasionally chilies
Shakshuka: a savory one-pan dish of poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce which may be varied with the addition of peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, paprika, or cayenne.
Eggah: similar to a frittata, an omelet that may have some vegetables added and is seasoned with spices.
Kebda Eskandarani: liver, cooked Alexandrian style which has more flavour
Drinks:
Karkadeh (hibiscus tea, hot or cold)
Turkish coffee: strong coffee made on a gas ring or on hot sand
Bedouin tea or Siwa tea: variations on standard tea, prepared in distinctive local styles and with distinctive tastes
Sahlab: a sweet milk drink with a thick consistency, made from the tubers of a type of orchid. It may be flavored with orange blossom and cinnamon and is sprinkled with coconut, nuts, and dried fruit such as sultanas or raisins. An excellent Winter warmer.
Deserts:
Om Ali: like a bread pudding, layered with puff pastry, milk, and cream. It is sprinkled with nuts, raisins, and coconut.
Roz belaban: creamy rice pudding
Sweets and cookies {biscuits) include Basbousa, Kanafeh, Balah el sham, Zalabia or Lockmet el-Qady, Meshabek (Jalebi), Kahk, and more. Your guide can show you the different varieties.
Meals will be served usually with soup, vegetables, and bread. Naturally, food in the restaurants in tourist areas is more expensive, often comparable with European prices, while the places used mostly by Egyptians can be very inexpensive.
Coffee shops are an essential part of Egyptian life, where the men gather to drink tea or coffee, smoke shisha, talk, and play board games or watch television. Women do go to the local coffee shops, but it is better to go with a company as it is still not part of Egyptian culture for women to be in local cafes on their own.
