Food in Egypt - Egyptian Food, Egyptian Cuisine

Food in Egypt - Egyptian Food, Egyptian Cuisine

It has been some time since I blogged about Egypt. Being one of the oldest civilisations in the world, Egypt sure stands out for retaining its traditions and culture. If I were to put on Egyptian outfits, wrap my head with the 25 pounds and stay in Egypt for a little while longer, I might really brainwash myself that I’m living in the ancient world. In short, Egypt sure has not changed much.
Till this day, the Egyptian diet is pretty much similiar to those 2000 years ago. It consists of pita bread, beans and soup. My friends and I ate pita bread daily. Pita bread can be eaten with jam, dipped with sauce or accompanied with soup. Once in a while, sand might get embedded in the pita bread (since Egypt is really sandy) and you’ll get the extra crunch in your bread. Traditional Egyptian food is really healthy.

In the eight days that we were there, we never once saw an obese Egyptian. We were so privilleged to be on the traditional Egyptian diet for the entire trip (except we indulged in macdonalds once) that the two things I look forward to the most at every meal is a hardboiled egg and watermelon.

Food in Egypt - Egyptian Food, Egyptian Cuisine

Food in Egypt - Egyptian Food, Egyptian Cuisine

Food in Egypt - Egyptian Food, Egyptian Cuisine

Food in Egypt - Egyptian Food, Egyptian Cuisine

Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians left evidence of their love for food. Well-preserved wall paintings and carvings have been discovered on tombs and temples, depicting large feasts and a variety of foods. Many of these ancient foods are still eaten in Egyptian households today. Peas, beans, cucumbers, dates, figs, and grapes were popular fruits and vegetables in ancient times. Wheat and barley, ancient staple crops, were used to make bread and beer. Fish and poultry were also popular. Dried fish was prepared by cleaning the fish, coating the pieces with salt, and placing them the sun to dry. Fasieekh (salted, dried fish) remained a popular meal in Egypt as of 2000.

The unique Egyptian cuisine has been influenced throughout history, particularly by its neighbors from the Middle East. Persians (modern-day Iraqis), Greeks, Romans (modern-day Italians), Arabs, and Ottomans (from modern-day Turkey) first influenced Egyptian cuisine thousands of years ago. More recently, the foods of other Arabic people in the Middle East such as the Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, as well as some foods from Europe, have affected the Egyptian diet. However, Egyptian cuisine maintains its uniqueness. After thousands of years, rice and bread remain staple foods, and molokhiyya (a spinach-like vegetable) and ful mudammas (cooked, creamy fava beans), a national dish, are nearly as popular as long ago.