"Bellies En-route"
Join us for a food tour of Downtown Cairo's traditional eateries and sample Egypt's delicious street food with Mariam Nezar & Laila Hassaballah
Ta'meyya at a Cairene EateryRAWI Publishing
The Ta'meyya Stand
Our first stop today as at our favourite ta‘meyya stand. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the owner strikes up a conversation no matter what language you speak or how quickly he's tossing patties in bubbling hot oil.
Let's take a moment to watch Abdullah and his mates prepare the ta‘meyya batter and fry it to crispy perfection.
Frying Egyptian Ta'meyya (Falafel)RAWI Publishing
Ta‘meyya, also called falafel in the north of Egypt, is made with fava beans instead of the chickpeas used in other Eastern Mediterranean countries. The beans are peeled then mashed with a variety of fresh herbs, finely chopped garlic and/or onions, and salt.
The batter is then shaped into patties and sesame and coriander seeds are lightly pressed onto the surface. As the patties sizzle in oil, they turn a delicious crispy golden brown while the centre remains soft and bright green.
Egyptian Ta'meyya (Falafel) SandwichRAWI Publishing
The patties are then stuffed into pockets of bread and slathered with tahini sauce. You can also opt for tons of extras in your sandwich, like fried eggplant, mixed salad, sharp arugula, or even French fries. That first bite is always pure bliss.
Egyptian Baladi BreadRAWI Publishing
If you’re wondering what that delicious-looking bread is in the last image, it’s Egyptian baladi bread, which you can see everywhere as you wander around Egyptian cities.
Baladi bread is always on the Egyptian table at every meal. You can cut it into halves or quarters and stuff it with cheese or other fillings or tear off an edge and use it to scoop up savoury sauces and dips or sweet honey and molasses.
Cairo Coffee ExpertRAWI Publishing
The Coffee Mill
After that amazing sandwich, it's definitely time for a coffee. This is Sobhi, one of the coffee experts at a 1920s coffee mill in Cairo. Sobhi’s day to day tasks include roasting and grinding the coffee beans and concocting different combinations to his customers’ taste.
Sobhi's mixes often include cardamom and other spices although some people prefer it plain. It’s hard to believe that with the amount of coffee we drink here, we don’t grow it ourselves. It's inspired by our neighbours around the Middle East, notably Turkey and the Arab Gulf.
Coffee Beans in EgyptRAWI Publishing
Turkish coffee calls for a medium or dark roast. When ordering a cup, it’s good to know words such as sada (plain), mazboot (just right), and zeyada (extra), which indicate the desired sweetness.
Traditional CoffeeRAWI Publishing
To brew a cup, the coffee, sugar and water are mixed in a particular copper pot called a kanaka like the one in this picture. It is placed over low heat and watched carefully as bubbles start to form.
When the coffee starts to rise, you quickly take it off the heat before it overflows and loses its wesh (face), a thick layer that forms on the top of the coffee and shows it's been properly prepared. Served in small cups, Turkish coffee is always a good start to the day!
Arabic CoffeeRAWI Publishing
Another type of coffee is this one called "Arabic' coffee, which looks more like green tea than coffee! It's popular in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen, where it's said to have originated. In Egypt, it's less common than other types of coffee, but it definitely has a following.
Made with lightly roasted beans and cardamom, this coffee has a delicate, earthy flavour. The coarsely ground beans are added to boiling water, left to simmer until flavourful, and served unfiltered in small cups to heighten the aroma of this subtle beverage.
Koshari
At lunchtime, we stop for some koshari, a delicious medley of rice, pasta, lentils, and chickpeas considered the national dish of Egypt. To eat it, you add a generous helping of tomato sauce, a splash of garlic vinegar dressing, and a layer of crispy onion goodness.
Egyptian SausageRAWI Publishing
Sogo'
After the koshari, we sample some sogo’ (Egyptian sausage) from a neighbouring street cart. Made from beef, lamb, or a mix of both, it’s typically quite spicy, however, this depends entirely on the individual house-blend of spices of each butchery.
While available all over Egypt, Alexandrian sogo’ is particularly famous and known for packing lots of heat. If you can’t make it there, head to one of the street carts in Cairo's older neighbourhoods to chow down on some delicious sogo’ sandwiches with the locals.
Fresh Egyptian JuicesRAWI Publishing
With Egypt’s notoriously hot weather, there is no better way to cool off than with a refreshing glass of fresh juice. Juice bars here aren’t a new trend but an integral part of our street culture.
Sugarcane is considered the national juice, but Egypt’s delicious produce guarantees a wide selection of juices and mixes. Some of our favourites are tangerine in winter, tamarind for the lovers of everything tart, and sobya, a sugary mix of coconut, vanilla, and milk.
Cairo's Felfela RestaurantRAWI Publishing
What better way to end a long day of sightseeing than with a visit to Felfela, a Downtown Cairo landmark. Founded in 1959 by Amina Zaghloul, an entrepreneur who wanted to offer high-quality, affordable Egyptian cuisine to locals and tourists alike, it quickly became a hit.
Even though the restaurant is located in an alleyway between two buildings, its decor does a great job of transporting you to another era as soon as you set foot inside. On your visit, make sure to try their ta’meyya and fried eggplant dishes.
Waiters from Felfela RestaurantRAWI Publishing
One thing we love about classic restaurants like Felfela is that it’s common to find guests who have been visiting since the 70s and waiters who have been working there for over 30 years. Become a regular like us, and you’ll likely start feeling you're among family.
Egyptian KonafaRAWI Publishing
Our last stop of the day is for dessert, which in Egypt can be described as very sweet and most definitely very delicious. Head to any local dessert shop and you’ll be overwhelmed by the variety of sweets from the region.
Konafa, bassbousa, and baklawa are just a few popular items on the menu. There’s a myriad of ways to prepare each of these, most notably stuffed with nuts and of course drenched in sugar syrup.
Thanks for joining us on this short culinary tour of Cairo. We hope you had fun!
Mariam Nezar Saleh and Laila Hassaballa (pictured in the title slide) are the founders of Bellies En-route.
