Egyptian Food

Both myself and Brian have found it difficult to find a good place to eat in Cairo. One of our first dinners ended up costing us EL40/each, (EL = Egyptian Pound), ($1 = EL5.7 approx.). We knew there was better food out there at a far better price. It took us both a while but I believe now we can find good sit-down places with decent food all for about EL10 - 30 depending upon how many cokes you buy. Yes, a can of pop sometimes ends up costing just as much if not more than the meal itself!

So, if you're wondering what constitutes Egyptian food, here it goes:

--falafel = (Middle Eastern balls of spiced ground chickpeas which are deep-fried and served in pita bread with a yogurt- or tahini-based sauce.
--Koshari =(yum, yum but gives you the toots - it's small pieces of spaggheti, macaroni, lentils, chickpeas, with tomatoe sauce, dried onions and perhaps dried oregano
--boudi dashi = ground meat balls served with tomatoe sauce - order with rice
--baba ganoush = primarily made of eggplant and a sesame paste called tahini
--tahnini sauce = A creamy paste made from hulled (roasted or unroasted) ground sesame seeds
--kofta = Minced meat or vegetable balls in batter, deep-fried, and then cooked in curry sauce. However, I have not seen it served with the latter.
--beef or chicken shawarma = cuisine dish of fine ribbons of spicy lamb meat, similar to Greek gyros.

I really like the koshari which is usually around EL3. Other dishes range from EL5 - 20 depending upon day or night time rates. Very cheap to the dollar.

I believe this hits the highlights. We both have had no problem with the food and have even been eating the fresh vegitables. Water here seems to be treated with chlorine although I have not taken to drinking it.

Pastries are nice and we found a nearby bakery that makes homemade small pizzas that we eat for breakfast.

The highlight of all of this is the juice. Who would know that in the middle of all this brown desert would lie street upon street of fresh juice venders. They are these tiny little shop-oasis's with baskets of fruit hanging on the outside. They take raw fruit, grind it up and pour it in a glass straight up. They are my favorite piece of Cairo (aside from the hieroglyphes, sp?). Mango is by far the best but they also have other crazy flavors like carrot, guava, tamarind, and sugar cane which was also tasty. They're so good and they cost at most, EL2!

No meal is complete without Sheesha. Introducing the Arabian Smoking pipe. This smoking pipe is the typical smoking object in the Arabian tradition. Tobacco comes with a variety of fruit flavors like Apple, Strawberry, Banana, Grape, and many more! My favorite is cantelope.

The food is good here and full of protein and complex carbs. Mint tea is also a favorite with the people and I don't find many Egyptians drinking liquour. They seem pretty relaxed if not, a little lazy. Not a bad way to live if you think about it.