Fatafeat

Fatafeat is the Middle East's cooking channel, featuring shows from the Food Network, but also homegrown Arabian cooking from across the Arab world. The company also has a monthly magazine with beautiful photography and recipes, and is available both in Arabic and thankfully also in English.

Great place to learn new Ramadan recipes to impress the whole family, you can see the videos from here: Fatafeat Youtube Channel or pick up a copy of their magazine.

Ramadan Delights

Include dates, figs, apricots, nuts, tamarind drink, carob drink, coconut, prunes, etc. etc. See also Ramadan Goodie Bags and Khoshev and Yummy Drinks

Ramadan Goodie Bags

Often, people will give bags of food as donations or gifts during the month of Ramadan, to friends, family, employees, co-workers, the butcher and the baker and those we interact with on a daily basis, and most importantly giving charity to the poor.

Bags range from exquisite gift baskets to simple plastic bags filled with essential foodstuffs, typically a bottle of oil, rice, sugar, pasta, tomato paste, tea, and the ramadan delights dates, raisins, coconut, etc.

Khoshev

This is one of my favorite fabulous things about Ramadan. Khoshev is the first thing you eat after you break your fast at sunset. It can be made in a number of ways, but the basic recipe is dates, with prunes, apricots, raisins, soaked in either water or milk. You prepare this first thing in the morning, so by the time you break your fast, the water/milk has taken on all the sweetness of the dates and raisins, etc. and tastes fabulously delicious.

Kosherie

Kosherie is a staple of the Egyptian diet, and its wonderful. The word kosherie apparently means a mixture of many different things (a great symbol for Egypt really...). To make it, you need small round pasta, lentils, rice, chick peas, some burnt onions and garlicy spicy tomato sauce to throw on top. See this post more about Healthy and Delicious fast food in Egypt.

Kosherie often scooped into plastic cartons and served to go!

Kids leaning over a kosherie cart in Old Cairo

Moloheya

Moloheya is one of those things that looks gross because of it can be slimy (trust me, if eating it cold is NOT good), BUT, if you have a GOOD dish of moloheya, then it is the most truly delicious and healthy greeness possible, bursting full of essential minerals and vitamins and packed with garlicky taste. It is cooked with meat and is a bit thicker than a soup, eaten with Egyptian bread and/or white rice. It's easy to prepare delicious vegan and vegetarian versions too. YUM!

My daughter's bowl.

Amazingly, ALL of the children I know in Egypt LOVE to eat moloheya. Even my daughter, who is about the pickiest eater on the planet. So its a great food for parents to prepare for their children to ensure they get enough of the daily vitamins and minerals they require.

Fateera

This is my daughter's favorite food, after pizza and moloheya (see an upcoming post for moloheya).

Fateera is made by this ultra thin buttery pastry cooked in layers (a bit like phyllo), with lovely cheese, vegetables and olives stuffed inside it. There are so many variations on this - with chicken, beef, tuna or sweet versions filled with apples. You can also eat thick layers of fateera on its own, as a nice (fattening) breakfast, dipped in honey or molasses (what they call black honey here in Egypt).

Amazing fruits and vegetables year-round

I grew up in Canada. Then I moved to rainy Europe. I can really say, that I don't think I ever really tasted a tomato until I went to Egypt (for more reasons on why North American tomatoes are so bland read this nice article on how "industrial farming has destroyed the tasty tomato". Compared to Egyptian tomatoes, all other tomatoes taste like water, really. In the past, I used to be dazed by people who could just eat a full tomato like an apple, but after living in Egypt I can start to understand why.

Egyptian Bread

Egyptian bread tastes so good once you start eating it is really hard to stop.

It is super delicious with hummus, baba ganouj, cheese, pickled lemons, and even nutella.

It is also fascinating to watch them make the bread in the outdoor stone fired ovens. Another fabulous thing is to see delivery men riding on bicycles in the busy streets of Cairo, balancing large wooden racks on their heads as they ride with loaves upon loaves of bread stacked on top.

source: dailytravelphotos.com

Yogurt

It seems like a really trite thing to mention, but it's something I love and so I am giving it a whole post: Yogurt. Before living in Egypt, I used to eat yogurt, but more out of health considerations than out of pure love. But in Egypt, it is a love affair. The yogurt here is the best I've eaten.

On another note - one of my favorite drinks here is Zibedi wa asal (yogurt with honey), its a great healthy alternative to a milkshake, terribly refreshing, served in almost any restaurant and cafe, and absolutely delicious.

Fabulous Stuffed Eggplant

Fabulous eggplant features prominently in a lot of Egyptian meals. These lovely hors d'oeuvres are made from these small thin plum eggplants sliced down the middle, stewed in vinegar (somehow - don't ask me details of the mysterious art of cooking) and stuffed with pungent garlic, hot green pepper, olive oil maybe tomatoes as well and some other mystery spices the chef who made this particular plate magically added.
Bon appetit!

Termis (Lupinis)

Just love eating these little salty guys. In Egypt they call these legumes Termis. I've read about them elsewhere as being called Lupinis. And have found some scientific papers referring to them as Lupinus Termis.

Whatever you want to call them. I love them. The first time I ate them was not in Egypt actually, but in Jordan, but they are as popular here in Egypt as they were there. Fabulous. High in protein (see my post on veganism in Middle East) and high in calcium and phosphorus. Overall, a great healthy snack food.

A man sitting under a wide umbrella in front of a mosque,
selling cups of Termis (with lemon) and peanuts

Selling paper tubes of Termis in front of another mosque

Going Vegan

It is really easy to eat vegan in Egypt. There are so many fresh baked goods made without dairy. Delicious falafel and foul sandwiches. And delicious tasting sun-kissed vegetables and fruit all year round.

Check out this great blog for Vegans in Egypt with tons of great recipes...
http://alfhana.wordpress.com/
And this nice article with info on veganism in the Coptic Church
Or join the facebook group of the Vegetarian/Vegan Society in Egypt
or another FB groups Vegetarians in Egypt

my favourite: Alexandrian fool sandwich

Egyptian Pizza

Egyptian pizza can be found at virtually all small local bakeries. It is like a mini-sized pizza (about the size of a hand), a bit drier than the North American version (less tomato sauce and less greasy cheese) and more bready than the thin Italian version. Has some mix of Egyptian spices added to it, which along with the Egyptian Romy cheese and the thin slices of green pepper and Egyptian black olives gives it a distinct taste as remote from the Italian original as "Hawaiian pizza" - but every bit as good. Inexpensive, yummy and a relatively healthy version of fast food, it's a fabulous snack/meal any time of day!

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