Rocco Smith
Egyptian cuisine is food that is overlooked frequently.
After a recent trip to the Middle East and North Africa, I fell in love with the culture and cuisine of the Egyptian people. Exotic spices and flavors made every dish I tried on my trip unforgettable.
I love to cook, so I immediately searched the internet for great Egyptian foods I could make at home.
Join my journey in making these delicious Egyptian recipes by checking out the 24 Egyptian dishes below!
Aish Baladi is an Egyptian flatbread.
Aish means life in Egyptian. This flatbread gets this name because bread is something Egyptians cannot live without in each meal.
This flatbread uses simple ingredients that let the flavors shine through. It bakes on a hot baking stone, allowing it to puff up while it is in the oven.
It is served with your favorite filling or as a side, similar to pita bread.
An eggah is made out of what it sounds like; eggs.
An eggah is an Egyptian omelet that is great any time of the day. Eggs, flour, salt, pepper, diced onions, oil, parsley, diced tomatoes, and diced green bell peppers are all you need to make this protein-packed meal.
The eggah is cooked on the stovetop and then broiled in the oven to finish cooking the top.
Baba Ghanoush is an eggplant-based dip commonly served with pita bread or vegetables like carrots and celery.
Eggplant is roasted over an open flame and mixed with tahini, fresh garlic cloves, olive oil, lime or lemon juice, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, and pink salt.
I like to finish my Baba Ghanoush with chopped flat-leaf parsley and eat it with warm pita bread.
Feteer Meshaltet is an Egyptian layered pastry.
Thin sheets of sweet pastry are layered on each other and filled with either a savory cheese filling or a sweet coconut raisin filling.
The savory route uses mozzarella cheese, black olives, and sliced peppers for a crispy, pizza-like dinner.
The sweet take combines shredded coconut, raisins, and powdered sugar for a crisp and creamy dessert.
Basbousa is an Egyptian cake made from authentic Egyptian ingredients like farina, yogurt, ghee, and shredded coconut.
Farina is a starch flour made from vegetables like potatoes and cassava. Some versions mill the wheat germ and endosperm of a wheat berry.
This coarse flour mixed with clarified butter called ghee and shredded coconut brings an authentic Egyptian flavor to this cake.
Ful Medames is a staple breakfast dish in Egypt.
Spiced beans are served alongside an array of sides, including creamy tahini, hard-boiled eggs, chopped tomato, cucumber salad, and grilled flatbread.
The beans are warm and spiced with onions, tomato, garlic, cumin, and parsley.
Baklava is a beloved dessert combining phyllo dough, walnuts, ghee, sugar, and spices.
This Egyptian recipe combines the flavors of orange blossom water and cinnamon with lemon juice for a delicious sweet, tangy dessert.
The phyllo dough bakes until it is perfectly crisp in layers of dough and sweet liquid.
Ghoraybeh is simple, shortbread-like Egyptian cookies.
Flour, ghee, and powdered sugar and combine to make the dough. Optional pistachios are placed on top of the dough as a garnish before being baked to perfection.
These cookies are great with hot tea.
Hamam Mahshi is a stuffed squab. Squab is an immature pigeon domesticated for its meat.
The young birds taste like the dark meat of a chicken. The squab is stuffed with a mixture of lemon juice, salt, pepper, butter, onions, cinnamon, allspice, freekeh, fresh mint, parsley, and chicken broth.
The whole bird is deep-fried until golden for a delicious dinner.
Hummus is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made from chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
These five ingredients constitute authentic hummus, but other ingredients go in this 14th-century hummus recipe.
The five original ingredients are accompanied by red wine vinegar, parsley, mint, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, thyme, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, salt, and black olives.
Kebabs are adapted to many cultures, with different ingredients used around the world.
Kebab sticks are wooden dowels that are packed with a variety of ingredients to constitute a kebab. A kofta kebab is a kebab made from ground beef and ground lamb.
The ground meat combines with onion, salt, black pepper, and baharat then baked and grilled for a tender, juicy kebab.
Molokhia is a leafy green vegetable best served in a stew.
This vegetable is a superfood full of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. It makes a delicious, green, gooey stew that you will either love or hate!
I love the taste and texture of Molokhia stew made with lemon juice, garlic, chicken legs, and seven spices served over rice.
Koshari is the national dish of Egypt. This carb-filled meal is made from lentils, rice, pasta, and chickpeas.
These four forms of carbohydrates come together in a spicy tomato sauce and are topped with crispy onions. The tomato sauce packs a punch with ingredients like crushed red pepper, white vinegar, garlic cloves, and cumin.
The dish is best alongside bread, yogurt, or hot sauce.
Qatayef is a staple on the dessert table during the holy month of Ramadan.
Qatayef is similar to pancakes stuffed with nuts and fried until they are golden crisp. The stuffed, crispy pancakes are then dunked in a thick simple syrup to give them the sweet stickiness they are known.
They are topped with crushed nuts to finish their appeal.
Roz Bel Laban is a traditional Egyptian rice pudding. This sweet rice pudding is a dessert or breakfast.
I love to add raisins and rose water to my Roz Bel Laban for a deliciously fruity and floral flavor.
Cinnamon and nutmeg add the perfect spice to the sweet rice pudding.
I enjoyed making all of these food dishes, then I remembered a drink I had on a chilly morning on my Egyptian adventure.
Sahlab is an Egyptian hot vanilla drink that is the perfect way to warm up.
Its base is milk that is thickened with cornstarch, sweetened with sugar, and spiced with vanilla, cinnamon, and coconut flakes.
Shawarma is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made from meats stacked on a vertical rotisserie and sliced thin as the rotisserie rotates.
This recipe adapts the traditional way of cooking chicken in a pan or on the grill so you can enjoy Shawarma at home!
A spice mix made from coriander seed, cardamom, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper brings the chicken to the next level!
Umm Ali is a traditional Egyptian bread pudding served for dessert.
Squares of pre-made puff pastry dough are baked and then torn up into a casserole dish. Sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, sugar, milk, and a blend of spices are boiled and then added to the puff pastry.
Nuts, raisins, and coconut are sprinkled throughout the dish before it is baked to perfection.
Bamya is a delicious Egyptian meat and okra stew that is perfect for anyone on a special diet.
This stew is made from simple ingredients that are gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, keto, and dairy free. I like to make Bamya with a mixture of beef and lamb stew meat.
The meat is joined by onion, fresh garlic, tomato paste, lemon juice, and spices. I love to eat this hearty stew on a cold winter day.
Fattah is an Egyptian dish composed of toasted pita bread as the base, drizzled with a homemade white sauce, and topped with rice and either lamb or beef chunks.
A homemade tomato sauce is drizzled on top for a dish with layering flavors. Both sauces are packed with flavor from ingredients like a 7-spice blend, ghee, and garlic cloves.
Hawawshi is an Egyptian minced meat sandwich. These little slider-type sandwiches are served on mini pita bread buns and spiced with an array of spices.
Merguez sausage is disassembled to add even more flavor to the spiced minced beef.
Onions, green peppers, and extra virgin olive oil give the meat some company on the mini pita bread buns.
Kunafa is my favorite Egyptian dessert. Shredded phyllo dough is filled with a silky milk pudding and drizzled with a fragrant simple syrup.
The phyllo dough brings just the right amount of buttery crunch, while the milk pudding brings an unmatched creaminess.
Lime juice and orange blossom water in the simple syrup bring just the right amount of floral flavor to the rich dessert.
Shakshuka is a traditional Middle Eastern breakfast dish that is commonly served in Israel.
Peppers and onions are sauteed and accompanied by a spiced tomato sauce and whole eggs.
The tomato sauce is spiced with paprika, cumin, and chili powder for the right bite to this breakfast dish.
Which Egyptian Dish Will You Try First?
Try some or all of these delicious Egyptian foods and tell us which is your favorite!
Check out other African dishes and more on our blog!
24 Popular Egyptian Dishes
Have you ever tried Egyptian food? Check out these traditional Egyptian dishes to try on your visit or make them at home with the included recipes!
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Choose your favorite recipe.
2. Gather the necessary ingredients.
3. Prep and cook your recipe.
4. Enjoy!
