Sharm El Shiekh isn't exactly the culture capital of the world, but there are some things that you can do. We stayed at the Club Magic Life and there are a number of things to do, both near the hotel and further afield:1. Outside the…Read More

Sharm El Shiekh isn't exactly the culture capital of the world, but there are some things that you can do. We stayed at the Club Magic Life and there are a number of things to do, both near the hotel and further afield:

1. Outside the Hotel
There are a few little shopping areas just outside the front entrance of the hotel where you can pick up souvenirs and essentials. There are a couple of shops inside the hotel resort but things tend to be much cheaper in these shops outside and there is also the chance to haggle. If you turn right when you leave the hotel there are a few fast food restaurants (including McDonalds, KFC and even Starbucks) for if you are missing your home comforts.

2. Soho Square
This is a fairly new area not far from the hotel. You can get a taxi inside the hotel for around 100 Egyptian pounds, but if you walk just a bit outside the hotel you can barter for a much cheaper taxi. You'll have to wait a matter of seconds for one to pass. Soho Square is about ten minutes away in a taxi. It is full of shops as well as having a panoramic cinema (that shows films in English at certain times) as well as a bowling alley, a nightclub and some cafes. We went during the day but found that many of the things (including the shops) were closed and they don't generally open until 6pm. It is much more of a place to go in the evening although some shops were open during the day.

3. Old Market
This is about fifteen minutes away from the hotel and is the place to go if you want to get fake designer goods for a bargain price and if you love to haggle then you'll have a whale of a time. There are thousands of shops and the whole place is a little bit like a village. There is a bit of harrassment in terms of shopkeepers trying to entice you into their shops but they are quite relaxed and tend to just invite you in and then leave you alone if you aren't interested. It's quite a fun place to go and grab a bargain.

4. Further Afield
It is possible to do day trips and overnight trips to both Cairo and Luxor. We have been to both of these places so didn't bother this time, but I would highly recommend both. Obviously Cairo has the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx as well as the fascinating Cairo museum, home to all of Tut Ankh Amun's many treasures. Luxor has it's fair share of fascinating historical sites including the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and the temples at Luxor and Karnak. Both of the trips though are long days,so be prepared for long coach journeys in hot climates.

So there is a selection of things to do if the sun, sea, sand and relaxation gets too much for you!Close

So, you want a culinary experience when you are in Cairo, other than hotel food, American fast food or some snack you brought from the airport? There are a number of exotic restaurants from Lebanese to Syrian to Asian to Indian, so many menus will…Read More

So, you want a culinary experience when you are in Cairo, other than hotel food, American fast food or some snack you brought from the airport? There are a number of exotic restaurants from Lebanese to Syrian to Asian to Indian, so many menus will have items from these cultures as well.

Here are some foods that you may come across that I have been told are truly Egyptian....

Foul Mudammas - (pronounced "fool") is a vegetarian dish of mashed beans served with onion, parsley, chili powder, cumin powder and olive oil. With a consistency of hummus and babagannoush, this dish is eaten for breakfast!

Falafel - a patty of ground chickpeas deep fried and coated with sesame seeds. I was told that falafel originated in Egypt

Shawarma - spit roasted meat usually beef, chicken or lamb served with grilled tomato and onions and a tahini sauce

Tahini - paste of ground sesame seeds

Albalady bread - a puffy light flat bread, slightly coated in semolina....

Kebab - chunks of meat, at times boneless and ground meats grilled on skewers. In general I have found the chicken is much better than the beef in Egypt.

Koshary - (vegetarian dish) a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni in a tomato salsa

Fateer - phyllo pie with honey or molasses drizzled on top served with a dollop of cream and powdered sugar


Close

Bear in mind that a city that grew to have 21 million inhabitants may not have had the infrastructure to handle the same amount of automobile and motorcycle drivers. While I was told that the train system was safe and fast, there was nothing that…Read More

Bear in mind that a city that grew to have 21 million inhabitants may not have had the infrastructure to handle the same amount of automobile and motorcycle drivers. While I was told that the train system was safe and fast, there was nothing that could be done to curb the nightmare traffic jams that could make a 1 mile drive up the street take 45 minutes.

Best advice: Plan to make an early morning of things in order to get where you need to go on time...there is always traffic, but it seems to double at 8-9am. If you aim to get to the Egyptian Museum, you may want to get there early anyway to avoid the crowds. If you are on a tour that is driving to Giza to see the pyramids, you may want to leave early before 9am.

Also be aware that the smog in the city is awful. The car exhaust especially while in traffic could give you a hacking cough for days...there is not much you can do to avoid this since if you put up the windows the exhaust manages to seep in anyhow. Don't let this adversely affect your trip! Cairo is an interesting city to explore and well worth it!





Close

Remember that we spent the night at the Fairmont Nile City Cairo as part of the Ramses Tour package. (See my review). Our days started out late and without breakfast as you know. (See my story in Day 8) We met Mohamed at…Read More

Remember that we spent the night at the Fairmont Nile City Cairo as part of the Ramses Tour package. (See my review).

Our days started out late and without breakfast as you know. (See my story in Day 8) We met Mohamed at almost 9am even though we said 7:30am for breakfast. He still waited and was not at all fazed by our tardiness. In fact, he became furious when he found out the wakeup call did not work and he was the one who initiated the conversation with the manager. He was pretty harsh at them but it is his tour company’s reputation and our valuable time wasted. Either way, it is another testament to Ramses Tours commitment to customer service. After getting back to the van, he assured us that we would still keep our itinerary and said that luckily, because we are in a private tour, hiccups like this can easily be absorbed without loss.

Right before our visit to the Citadel of Saladin, he stopped at a local restaurant and gave us these breakfast falafels that were apparently vegetarian patty within pita bread. SUPER DELICIOUS and he said that it was going to be the compliment of Ramses Tours since we missed our breakfast. The beautiful Citadel built by the Saracen King Saladin during the times of the Crusade sits well preserved. The Mosque built by the Ottoman Empire some years later, is in pristine condition. A visit within the Mosque was included. Just remember that strict dress codes are enforced. No shoulders or knees showing at any time. You MUST take off your shoes before entering the Mosque so make sure you bring yourself a pair of socks in your pack if you are a bit squeamish of walking bare foot. However, don’t be too alarmed if you don’t. The interior of the Mosque is super clean, polished and dustless. The reason is that it is a strict rule of Islam that the floors of all Mosques must be clean so that during prayer time, all Muslims can kneel and touch their foreheads on the ground without getting it dirty. In fact, if the floor is dirty during prayer, the prayer itself is null and void and will not be accepted as one of 5 prayers a good Muslim must do during the day.

The more I learn about the Muslim religion, culture and the people of Islam, the more I am impressed. The religion of Islam is not based on beliefs most Westerners fear. In fact, if you really look into the true believers of Islam, you will find many of their core beliefs are the same to all good religions. Don’t steal, don’t kill, love your brothers and sisters, protect the innocent and so on. All these must sound familiar does it not?

Our next visit was one of the most anticipated… the National Archeological Museum in Cairo where over 200,000 pieces of Ancient Egyptian artifacts are stored on display. The entire collection of Tutankhamen including the golden mask, his tomb and ornate sarcophagus are all there lying to be seen as well as other most interesting artifacts. I warn you that this Museum gets VERY busy so get there as early as possible and be patient because there will be hundreds of people there. One thing that was a disappointment was that you cannot take photos in the Museum itself. In fact, they force you to check your cameras in while you enter through a metal detector so this is why there are no photos attached.

Our next stop was the small town of Sakkara where one of the first pyramids like tomb was first created. It wasn’t a true pyramid but more like step like platforms in increasingly shrinking area until it is a point at the top. The actual pyramid use to be surrounding by a menacing 30 feet protective wall surrounded by many falls doors. Of course, most of the walls have since disappeared but a piece of the wall surrounding the entrance still stands.

Afterwards, we saw the fairly intact, giant statue of Ramses II lying on its back. The statue was enormous. The matching pair (still fully intact) is actually standing today in the Giza Plateau where a new museum will be built around it. They expect completion of the new museum in about 3 or 4 years though our guide though that was a bit optimistic given the economy.

Our final stop was lunch which was a restaurant picked by Mohammed right outside the pyramid of Saqqara. Grilled chicken and some grilled meatballs were oh so delicious. Even a better meal than the day before.

The drive back to the ship was uneventful and even though traffic was bad, we got back to the ship at exactly 6pm.

Ramses Tours was all they said they are. The tours were private, the guide was knowledgeable and the itinerary was spectacular and best of all, on-time.
Close

In Alexandria, we got a quick city sightseeing orientation tour. We really didn’t stop but a couple of places to take quick photos; right outside the Alexandria museum and nearest the seaside fortress and where the old Lighthouse use to be. Other than…Read More

In Alexandria, we got a quick city sightseeing orientation tour. We really didn’t stop but a couple of places to take quick photos; right outside the Alexandria museum and nearest the seaside fortress and where the old Lighthouse use to be. Other than that, we proceeded to Cairo for our visit of the Pyramids of Giza.

The trip to Cairo was about 3 hours and the city traffic was horrendous! This is another reason why one should spend the night. You waste 12 hours in traffic alone over two days if you go back and forth from the port of Alexandria. Anyway, the highlight of the afternoon was the Pyramids of Giza. We purchased optional tickets to enter and see the burial chamber of the 2nd Pyramid. You can enter the 1st Pyramid as well which I hear the trek to the burial chamber is longer and harder but only 400 tickets are sold daily and are usually sold out within the first hour of two of opening. Given the fact that we didn’t get there until mid afternoon, they were sold out of tickets for the first pyramid but the second was still available.

The experience of entering the burial chamber is an experience I won’t forget. You literally have to climb steep inclines of 25 degrees or more up then down several meters each. After several minutes of back bending, narrow passage travel, it opens up to the burial chamber. This chamber, though large, is very musty, humid and with the thin air, I can see how someone with even the slightest of claustrophobia can be a problem. I DON’T recommend doing this trek if you have bad knees, elderly, have trouble breathing etc. I have personally seen a young woman almost hyperventilating halfway through and could not continue so PLEASE KEEP THESE WORDS IN MIND.

Otherwise, the experience was fantastic!! This optional trek cost an extra $20 per person.

After taking our must have photos of the Giza Plateau, we headed down to see the Sphinx which was spectacular as well. The only disappointing part is that by the time we got to the Temple, the security people closed it even though we had at least 15 minutes left to closing time. Mohammed explained to us that sometimes, the security guards at the Temple gets tired and closes early just because. I wasn’t too upset about it. It was good enough I saw the Sphinx and had taken my photos.

My wife and I ended the rest of the afternoon shopping at a perfume place as well as a papyrus place as souvenirs. I know these things are touristy and call me corny but these things will end up mounted or framed for the walls of my house. Now the area of these two places are not in good neighborhoods and I seriously doubt the tour buses would go to these places but I felt safe and secure the entire time. I really think the Egyptians are really pro-tourist and good Muslims that they would never in a million years think of harming tourists.

Dinner was spectacular! Mohammed took us to a very local place, not very touristy. For the menu, various cold appetizers, a salad and the best grilled chicken I thought I ever had (until the next day for lunch).

Now, I’m sure you said to yourself… what are you doing eating the local food!?!? You are going to get sick! Well, no, on the contrary. The main fear of the food here is the water. Mohammad admitted that the water in Egypt is not very good. The main reasons, according to him, are the pipes. They still have old, dirty pipes flowing through most of the cities. However, the Egyptian government has slowly started to replace them especially around the area near the Nile River in Cairo. In general, if you are in the touristy area of Cairo, the water there is safe to clean with but not potable. I still took the proper precautions and not eat too much raw stuff like salads and fruits with skin on them. Any food that is cooked, heated or grilled, I thought was good and safe to eat. After my trip in Egypt, I personally did not get sick, not one day. Now, there were people on the ship that mentioned they got some gastrointestinal issues afterwards but they ate the local fruit or ate food that was cold and probably washed with the tap.
That night, Mohammed dropped us off at the Fairmont Nile City in Cairo. One of the best hotels in Cairo, many locals believes it rivals the Four Seasons in service and amenities. The room was spectacular. Immaculately clean, modern and the bed was so comfortable that we slept extremely well. Too well. In fact, we were suppose to begin our 2nd day tour and be at breakfast (which was included) by 7:30am for an 8:30am start. Unfortunately, the hotel forgot to wake us up even after we called the front desk for a wakeup call and received a confirmation that the wakeup call was set. I spoke to the Front Desk Supervisor the next morning and they were extremely apologetic. So my stay was bitter sweet. Would I stay there again, yes of course. The hotel was SPECTACULAR to say the least but for next time, I would set up a separate portable alarm along with the wakeup call.
Close

TOP 10 CAIRO & THE NILE(DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)by Andrew Humphreys'Top 10 Cairo & the Nile' opens with the ten unmissable highlights including the pyramids of Giza, the mosque of Al-Azhar, the temple of Philae and the Valley of the Kings. Carrying on…Read More

TOP 10 CAIRO & THE NILE

(DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

by Andrew Humphreys

'Top 10 Cairo & the Nile' opens with the ten unmissable highlights including the pyramids of Giza, the mosque of Al-Azhar, the temple of Philae and the Valley of the Kings. Carrying on from there, other top tens featured in the guide are temples, Islamic architecture, museums, souvenirs, restaurants and children's attractions. There is something for everyone, whether the interest is Egyptology, mosques, or contemporary culture. You can find out about festivals, whether religious or secular, and discover the ten most typical Egyptian dishes, including koshari and molokhiya.

The next section of the book gives top tens according to area: central Cairo, old Cairo, beyond Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan and Lake Nasser. There is a fair amount of information here on monuments, museums, restaurants, places to shop, outdoor activities and cultural venues. Coptic Cairo is featured as well as Pharaonic and Islamic monuments. The Top 10 Unmissable Experiences is a fascinating list that includes a variety of suggestions for tasting Egyptian life. These range from drifting in a felucca (sailing boat) to visiting a belly-dancing club.

The final section of the book is entitled Streetsmart and opens with practical information such as how to get to Egypt, how to travel around once you are there, and where to find information. There is even a page listing ten things to avoid, from getting drunk to public displays of affection. There are nine pages on accommodation, from luxury to budget hotels in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel, plus several in Alexandria and Port Said – the top ten of each are listed. The index to the guide covers six pages and seems to be pretty comprehensive. The Phrase Book, however, consists of a mere two pages and is therefore very limited. It includes sections on emergencies, eating out, hotels, shopping, numbers and days of the week as well as generally useful words. If your knowledge of Arabic is extremely limited and you are staying any length of time, you will need a more comprehensive phrase book than this.

There are maps of Cairo and the Nile and Cairo North inside the fold-out front cover, while the back flap also gives plans of Cairo South as well as Alexandria, Aswan and Luxor, Karnak and Thebes. There is in addition a pull-out map and guide giving sixty ideas on how to spend a day. There are a few other maps dotted throughout the book, but some of these are very small.

'Top 10 Cairo & the Nile' is a light-weight guide whose small format makes it perfect for carrying around. Many of the photographs are quite tiny, but they are all in colour and make for an attractive guide. The amount of information will likely be enough for tourist spending a week or two in the areas featured, but anyone intending to live in Cairo or make an extended stay in Egypt will probably need a more detailed guide book.

Paperback, 144 pages
DK Publishing, 2009
ISBN 97814055343343
Close

This is high on our list of must sees and we have looked forward to our visit for many years. We soon discover the Valley of the Kings is high on many lists, so much so that cameras are not allowed in the site.…Read More

This is high on our list of must sees and we have looked forward to our visit for many years. We soon discover the Valley of the Kings is high on many lists, so much so that cameras are not allowed in the site. I think this is in an effort to keep the crowds moving more than to protect the ancient hieroglyphics.
The very name evokes a sense of dark mystery. There are 63 temples discovered to date with work continuing to uncover more. As you would expect, all of the temples are of Kings with the exception of three. The walls of the temples are in unbelievable shape with the images of the Book of the Dead ,the Book of the Gates and the Book of the Underworld are clearly visible. It is easy to let your imagination run wild and be transported back in time . The Egyptian belief that "To speak the name of the dead is to make him live again" is certainly carried out in the building of the tombs. The king's formal names and titles are inscribed in his tomb along with his images and statues.

Beginning with the 18th Dynasty the kings abandoned the Memphis area and the pyramid style tombs and built their tombs in Thebes. Most of the tombs were cut into the limestone .These catacombs were harder to rob and were more easily concealed. As soon as the reign began so did the construction of the tomb. I guess its best to be ready!!

We visited only three temples in all .
The first was temple 14 – Temple of King Setnakht
Setnakht was the first King of 2oth Dynasty,which was the last of the New Kingdom. Setnakhte's reign was short, perhaps only two or three years and he may have come to the throne fairly late in life. Upon his death, Setnakhte was buried with full royal honors. According to the Papyrus Harris I, "he was rowed in his king's barge upon the river (crossed the Nile to the west bank), and rested in his eternal house west of Thebes". He actually had a "used" tomb as it was originally excavated for Queen Tuosret.
The next tomb we visited was Set 11.We believe that Seti may have only reigned for about six years, from about 1199 until 1193 BC.
This is an interesting tomb as it is where we first see some change in colour. Black and white are used to change the color hues. Color was obtained by crushing jewels to dust. We also notice many servants in the tomb , all to be used in the afterlife.
How I miss my camera. I try my best to content myself with some postcards.
Close

Edfu and the Temple of HorusLast night we sailed to Edfu and it was really cool this morning to look out the window and see the horse and carriages out front at dawn waiting for the tourists!Our excursion today is to see the Temple of…Read More

Edfu and the Temple of Horus
Last night we sailed to Edfu and it was really cool this morning to look out the window and see the horse and carriages out front at dawn waiting for the tourists!

Our excursion today is to see the Temple of Horus , the best-preserved Temple in all of Egypt. The hieroglyphics here are so clear they look like they were painted yesterday.
The falcon gods Horus along with his wife Hathor are on the front of the Temple.
The front of the temple is a pylon which makes this huge structure appear even larger. The pylons of the main Temple are about 118 feet high with typical scenes of the pharaoh in battle with his enemies.
We see the the goddess Hathor coming by boat ( laden with gold) to see her husband Horus. Apparently her plan was to stay two weeks and make 14 babies ( pretty ambitious , even for a goddess!!)
We take a good look at the " Nile-o-meter" here. We have seen them in Cairo as well and they are quite impressive. They were used to measure the water level of the Nile . The temples were always built in times of flood. This allowed for ease of construction as well as providing work.

Returning to our ship we relax on deck and watch scenes of everyday life play out before us. We see children playing ball and swimming while men fish. We watch men struggle under a heavy load of water from the river while we sit in our lounge chairs only meters away. Unbelievable!!
One man waves and shouts " Hello! Welcome to Egypt!"
Egyptians have been nothing but welcoming to us throughout our entire trip, despite our different lots in life!!

We cross the lock and sail to Luxor overnight.
Close

Temple of PhilaeLocated on an island we take a boat over to reach the first temple , known as the Temple of Love ( Temple of Isis).The trip to the island is part of the magic . Our boat crew are of the…Read More

Temple of Philae

Located on an island we take a boat over to reach the first temple , known as the Temple of Love ( Temple of Isis).
The trip to the island is part of the magic .

Our boat crew are of the beautiful, dark and exotic Nubian race. Nubians are the people of southern Egypt and northern Sudan,with a history and traditions which can be traced to 3800BC. They have their own language that can be spoken but has no written word.Along the Nile,they developed one of the oldest and greatest civilizations in Africa. Until they lost their last kingdom (Christian Nubia) only five centuries earlier the Nubians remained as the main rivals to Egypt, the other great civilization of North East Africa.

This is the most surreal temple we have seen on the trip. We are lucky to still have this temple as it is one of several that were relocated to higher ground and saved from the floodwaters created by the building of the Aswan Dam in 1906. In the seventies many nations attempted to save the Temple that was almost completely submerged. These countries, together with UNESCO, selected a new island reshaped to imitate Philae Island . The new island was called Egilica (also called Agilika).The project took over 9 years to be accomplished and the Temple of Philae was reopened in 1980!


We notice the high water marks on the temple walls. There is much to see here including lots of well-preserved hieroglyphics and early Christian symbols. During the reign of the Emperor Justinian (527-565 A.D), the main Temple was converted to a church. Our guide points out the defaced symbols of the gods on the temple walls. This was done the early Christians, as they were afraid of the spirits that might exist and be floating around inside the temples.
Its absolutely beautiful and stand proudly looking over Lake Aswan delighting thousands of visitors that arrive daily to take a trip back in time.
Close

Having lived in Egypt for over twenty years, I thought I would like to write a review of Egyptian cuisine. For the first few years I lived with my in-laws, and it wasn't exactly a typical household as my mother-in-law was a French Jewess, but…Read More

Having lived in Egypt for over twenty years, I thought I would like to write a review of Egyptian cuisine. For the first few years I lived with my in-laws, and it wasn't exactly a typical household as my mother-in-law was a French Jewess, but I believe she had begun life in Turkey and moved to Cairo at the age of about three. She did not work and her kitchen was her palace.
My husband loved his mother's cooking: he wanted me to eat traditional Egyptian food from the start and eventually learn to cook it myself. I resented somewhat his refusal to try any of my favourite recipes, but I wasn't averse to learning new ones.

One noticeable difference between Egyptian and British cuisine is the way vegetables are cooked. Green beans, the ubiquitous courgettes, or possibly peas with carrots would first be sauteed. Something called samn, similar to ghee, would normally be used, but we switched to oil as a healthier option. Tomato puree and just a small amount of water would be added, the vegetables then being left to simmer gently until tender. Sometimes small pieces of beef, or mince in the case of peas and carrots, would be added at the start as well as a grated onion. (How many buckets of tears did I cry over grating those onions?)
Artichoke hearts were available fresh or frozen. Again they would be sauteed with some mince and a little flour, but this time lemon juice would be added with a limited amount of water for simmering. I soon learned to cook these successfully and remember the day when my other half said my artichokes were better than his mother's. Her reply was 'il baraka fil 'usta' - congratulations go to the master (who taught me).

Stuffed vegetables are of course very popular - courgettes, or a thin white variety of aubergine, or green peppers. Stuffed vine leaves are usually the favourite. I had had these at a Greek restaurant in Manchester's Oxford Road in my student days, but I remember how large they were. The Egyptian ones must be as slender as a finger: a time-consuming process that is often carried out the previous evening. I remember once serving meat with stuffed vegetables and being told that anything stuffed counted as rice; I should therefore have cooked a separate vegetable as well. Considering how long I had spent preparing the meal, I thought that was a tall order.

A version of lasagne using penne rather than sheets of lasagne is one of the most filling dishes. Like most main courses, it would be served with a salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato, perhaps grated carrot or sliced onion, to provide vitamins. Those wealthy enough to buy meat might serve it as an accompaniment, probably as escalope fried in egg and breadcrumbs.

One of my favourite winter starters was lentil soup, the lentils being boiled first in a pressure cooker. Then the usual grated onion was sauteed in oil and the lentils added. It was served with ground cumin. I think I miss this dish more than any other since returning to England.

In the summer we had a soup-like dish that I believe is considered as a vegetable: moloukhia. It is a green leaf that has to be finely chopped and then cooked in chicken stock. A separate, cooked tomato sauce can be added upon serving: that may sound unusual but I found it to be a delicious combination. Bread is served as well. The idea of a hot, soupy vegetable in the height of summer may not seem appealing, but there was something refreshing about it to me.

Chicken was usually a weekend dish in our family. Chickens in Egyptian are usually boiled until the goodness must have gone out of them - the equivalent of what we do with our vegetables. But the stock is always used to make soup, with the addition of rice. My mother-in-law always cooked potatoes in a certain way to go with chicken, but I have a feeling this is a Jewish rather than an Egyptian dish. (I'd be interested to hear from anyone who knows.) The potatoes are cut into as thin chip-shapes as possible and are then deep fried until light golden brown. Just before serving, they are immersed in a small amount of chicken stock which they readily absorb. Unusual, but very enjoyable.

Fish is plentiful in Egypt, especially in Alexandria. It is one of the few foods that can be enjoyed from traditional takeaway shops (as opposed to Macdonalds) in Cairo. It is often fried or grilled, but sometimes baked in the oven with onions, peppers and tomatoes. We usually had rice and tahina as an accompaniment.

Not many Egyptians seem to be vegetarians by choice, but of course many people simply cannot afford to buy meat. You may have come across coshary, which consists of rice with lentils, some short macaroni, a rich, cooked tomato sauce and a topping of crisp fried onions. An inexpensive, very filling meal that provides some protein and vitamins. It is now easy to find felafel in UK supermarkets - Egyptians call it taamiya, and it is a popular breakfast dish eaten with flat bread. I never took a liking to foul, perhaps because I used to see my mother-in-law picking over the beans to see if there were any bugs in them! But foul is an excellent source of second class protein (especially if a few bugs have been missed).

Desserts don't seem to be a big feature of Egyptian meals, perhaps because of the plentiful supply of fruit. Cake shops are common, and birthday cakes are usually enormous affairs. Then at the end of Ramadan homemade 'cahk' are traditionally served, which are biscuity petits fours. During Ramadan (at night of course), baklava and conafa are very common. It sometimes seemed that people were almost eating more during Ramadan than the rest of the year, although I admired the way many people went about their daily lives without so much as a drop of water passing their lips.
Egyptian Christians also observe very strict periods of fasting when they eat no fat or meat of any kind. Olive sandwiches seem to be the norm for weeks on end. I can't imagine many of us being so strict about our food.
There is a wide variety then, and I haven't even mentioned kebabs and kofta, perhaps because we are now so familiar with them. I didn't actually eat them very often while I was in Egypt. On the whole I would say I prefer Indian food to Egyptian, but many women put a great deal of time and effort into their cooking with excellent results. I haven't visited the country for several years now, and I do wonder if ready meals have reached the supermarkets yet or whether tradition still prevails.
Close