Introduction –
Ummmmm!!! Food! The best aroma in the world is the aroma of freshly cooked food. Isn’t it? Yes, indeed! People plan different things when they are looking forward to traveling abroad or taking a break from all their stress. So, food-lovers look for food. But, of course, we all look for food when planning our trips. And what else can be better than looking at the ancient sphinx and mummies and relishing finger-licking food!
If you plan your next trip to see the ancient sand mummies, you must include access to all those places that offer a variety of famous Egyptian foods in your Egypt package. Mostly, the packages you book will give you only an itinerary that lists the cities, so in this article, we will resolve your problem by listing some of the best Egyptian foods you must try, along with a few famous restaurants and local food joints that offer such food. Let’s go!
Ful Medames is an Arabic name that means stew cooked fava beans slowly in pure vegetable oil and served with garlic, onions, parsley, and chili pepper with a blast of spices and herbs. This food item was originally an Egyptian breakfast dish. So, when you get the hotel name in an Egypt tour packages itinerary, look for the food menu and find out if this dish is available.
Ful Medames is so popular that even if you do not find it on the hotel menu, you can try the nearby local food corners and have one.
Popular Restaurants in Egypt that serve this dish are Zooba (Cairo), Gad (Cairo), and Mohamed Ahmed Restaurant (Alexandria).
Falafel
As the name suggests, Egyptian Falafel is one of the signature dishes of Egypt. It is locally known as Ta’ameya in Egyptian. Usually, in most countries, Falafel is cooked using ground chickpeas, but in Egypt, it is cooked from fava beans or broad beans in English. Falafels are served with pita bread along with delicious tahini sauce. You get tempered onions and tomatoes on the sides to make it spicier.
Popular restaurants for Egyptian falafels are El Zaeem (Luxor), Kazaz Restaurant (Cairo), and Sofra Oriental (Hurghada).
This national Egyptian street food will blow your mind if you are a street food lover. Koshari is a staple food of Egypt and is served best in street food joints. No matter what inclusions are there in your Egypt package, you can always try this easily available street food. Koshari is typically a mixture of chickpeas, pasta, and fried onions, topped with a delectable tomato sauce, which is not like the one you taste at home.
The best places to eat Koshari in Egypt is Koshary Abou Tarek (Cairo), Sayed Hanafy (Cairo), and El Tahrir (Cairo). So make sure to try Koshari when you reach Cairo.
Molokhia soup
Molokhia is another popular dish in Egypt. It is an appetizer and comes in the form of soup. If you love eating a bowl of soup before your meal, you must try Molokhia or Mulukhiyah. It is made up of Jute Mallow leaves that are minced and cooked deliciously in herb-infused broth.
Mostly, this soup tastes like a spinach soup, but just with a blast of flavorsome local herbs and spices infused within the broth. Molokhia is extremely healthy and is especially good if you are a vegetarian traveling to Egypt.
You get the best Molokhia in Egypt in Shobhy Kaber (Shubra), Kebdet El Brins (Imbaba), and El Monofy.
Hamam Mahshi is a typical non-vegetarian cuisine. It is a small dove cooked in pure vegetable oil and tempered with mint, onions, and several other spices. If you are a chicken-lover and want to try an alternative to it, you must have places that serve the best Hamam Mahshi on your Egypt package list. It is a dish that dates back centuries and is quite famous. The English name for Hamam Mahshi is stuffed squab, which means that the squab (dove) is stuffed with very palatable materials, served with extra toppings and spiced minty sides.
The best places to eat Hamam Mahshi are Ostaz Hamam Restaurant (Montaza), Kababgy El Ahzar Farafat (Agouza), and Le Pacha (Zamalek, Cairo).
Kebabs and Kofta are the most common dishes that stem from Middle Eastern countries. It is a famous dish in most Middle Eastern and Arabic countries. However, it is quite common in other countries also, but if you are on a trip to Egypt, you must try their local kebabs and kofta. The specialty stems from the manner of cooking and the spices they use for preparation. However, kebabs and kofta can be easily found anywhere in Egypt, so you do not need to travel to a location. Still, some famous kebabs and kofta places in Egypt include – Kaber Sobhy Restaurant (Cairo), El Menoufy (Cairo), El-Sayeda Zainab (Cairo).
Finally, we have something for the sweet tooth in you. If you have a sweet tooth and you love having desserts after a meal, this Fiteer Baladi is the best for you. Fiteer Baladi is a kind of bread that is multi-layered, and each layer is filled with different fillings. This dish is available as a snack food, so you can have a light snack while you travel places in Egypt. Fiteer Baladi comes in two flavors – sweet and spicy so you can eat it either as a dessert or simply as a savory.
The best places that sell Fiteer Baladi in Egypt are BeEJA (Zamalek), Al Khal Egyptian Restaurant (Heliopolis), and Sabaya (Cairo).
Conclusion – In a nutshell, it can be said that if you have an Egypt package booked, you must try these famous food dishes of Egypt. Most of these dishes are vegetarian in nature, so anyone can enjoy them, except Hamam Mahshi. Also, when you look for the best cuisines to try in Egypt, you will get several other food options too, but these 7 dishes are a must-try.
This article was updated and re-written in part by Hesham El Gammal; on February 14th, 2025 + fact-checked.
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