Hummus and related dips - yum.
Couscous, rice and roasted meat - yum again.
Shawarma - total YUM.
We had the yummiest chicken shawarma in Ibn Batuta Mall in Dubai. It cost 6dhm and is easily the best shawarma I have tasted!
Weird black olive salad - erm.. not yum.
Surprisingly, we found a lot of good bread and pastry in almost every buffet we had. A welcome breakfast, for sure. Warm rolls with butter melting between them.
Persimmons (the orange fruits in the boxes at the bottom) were everywhere in Cairo. Probably cheap too.
Ah yes, meet my lover - falafel. Vegetarians, get ready to eat tons of this if you every visit Egypt. Probably one of the only options you will have in a local Egyptian restaurant - unless dipping cucumber in hummus and calling it a meal is your thing.
Karkade. Dried hibiscus leaves that are then brewed into tea. I tasted them but they are not my cup of tea (hehe). Taken at Khan-El Khalili Market, a must-visit if you are in Cairo.
Egyptians love their mint. Its everywhere, literally! What a fantastic, simple and aromatic idea for a table arrangement though.
Ah yes, the Egyptian answer to nan - Aish Merahrah. Local bakeries make these in bulk and most households just buy them off the street and serve with meat, vegetables and dips. This lady was making a huge batch and willing posed for pictures (we had to pay her though, you need to pay for everything in Egypt!)
The tandoor actually runs on gas but looked ancient.
Fresh and hot. Has to be served immediately though, otherwise the bread turns hard and rubbery.
Ok don't judge my camera, this was taken in almost no light. An Arabic dessert that I had by the dozens and was present in all dessert counters. I think this is what the Greeks called Melomakarona which has Arabic origins but I could be wrong. If you know the name of this dessert, please leave a comment!
Bharathy
Great Post! Sooper pics! 🙂
Anonymous
Hi,
I am a subscirber to your blog, and like what I read. But this page is simply lovely. Introducing readers to foreign foods is a good idea. I would not have have known that hibiscus tea is drunk in Egypt!
Pattu
http://gardenerat60.wordpress.com
( I am unable to comment as a wordpress blogger. So this shortcut)
Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal
Thanks for a great walk of Cairo market 🙂
Mahimaa's kitchen
tempting pics. thanks for the food tour. hope you enjoyed your trip.
Sowmya
Interesting article! Looks like there are reasons more than the Pyramids to visit Egypt 🙂
Apu
Looks delicious!!
VineelaSiva
Wow nice food makes me hungry i simply love the pita bread,hummus falafel.
meeso
Woah! Food porn for sure! That is killing me!
Shyam
Ah lucky you, what did you see in Egypt? Or do we only get to see the food-related pix? 🙂
indosungod
Nags, reminded of the time we spent in Egypt, almost 3 months. Khan-El Khalili always made me poorer but the best part is most goods are cheap and you can haggle all you want.
Bakshis - is a way of life there 🙂
And I hated that karkady thing. I would so love to go back there again.