Stu's visit to Egypt.
10/23/01
Many home viewers have asked me to write about the food in Egypt in hopes of not reading about another bungled taxi ride. Quite frankly, it's nothing to write home about. My two favorite restaurants are The Thai Palace and L'ourbougine's, a French bistro, so I don't gravitate towards Egyptian cuisine. On the other hand, I'm not repulsed by it. I haven't found bizarre animal parts, fermented insects or unsanitary vegetables, just uninventive, bland, one-dish meals.
One of the first foods I was introduced to was koshary. This is the garbage plate of Egypt. Heaping on one plate are large spoonfuls of pasta (usually small elbows or rings), rice, lentils, chickpeas, and fried onions. This is topped with a spicy, red sauce or garlic oil. It is cheap and readily accessible. It is also very starchy and filling and the sauce stays with you for a day or so.
Pita bread is ever popular. They serve everything in pita bread. Craving something American, I ordered a side of mashed potatoes one day and it came in a pita pocket garnished with pickled carrots and okra. Often, a set of five plates will arrive at the table ahead of the meal each filled with a different dip for pita bread. No one can ever remember the names or ingredients of these plates but some of them are humus, tubule, pickled vegetables, an eggplant thing and a yogurt thing. We repeat the same conversation every time. "Could you pass the humus?" "No, that's babaganoush, I want the other brown mush." "No, not the green stuff."
Fuol, pronounced "fool", is another sloppy bean mixture that is common. It is like runny refried beans. The first fuol I had was downright foul, but I've had it since and it can be okay with the right spices. It is mostly served as a breakfast dish with mushy cheese. Unfortunately, the human digestive system does little to change its appearance.
Let's not forget the falafel. This is so pervasive that McDonald's offers the falafel sandwich. It is served on street corners, fine restaurants and the grocer's freezer. I know it is deep-fried and the inside is softÉandÉgreen. I think it is made of a ground-up bean and/or vegetable. It tastes okay, but probably isn't any better for you than french fries.
Sandwiches are usually served on rolls the size of a loaf of bread. Shish Tawouk is served like this. One of those words means "grizzled-chicken" and the other must mean "bun-so-big-you-can't-see-the-meat". I've had better chicken sandwiches at school cafeterias.
Groceries are remarkably similar to items in the States although the supermarkets here are the size of convenience stores at home. I can find Pop-Tarts, Captain Crunch, Heinz Ketchup, and Campbell's soup. Many of the groceries I would buy at home are available here. Pasta, sauce, coldcuts, cheese, soups, bread, milk, eggs, and yogurt are at every grocer.
The biggest difference I see in my food purchases is in the fruit and vegetable department. I am buying them. This is a fairly new concept for me. I know you can get them in the States (I even know people that eat them every day), but I never took notice. There are a ton of them here. Some I recognize others I don't. But I am trying them all. I especially like the bananas, kiwis, cucumbers, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes and garlic. These don't sound exotic to you, but can you get them fresh, everyday, for pennies? Every week I buy four grocery bags full of fruits and vegetables for twenty pounds (about $5).
So there isn't a lot to say about the food. That's a good thing. It could be much worse. Although McD's, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Chili's are available, I have not felt the craving to go. There are plenty of good ethnic restaurants available in the metro area and it's always an adventure finding them in a taxi.