Some tourist attractions are so iconic that they’ve become synonymous with the country they’re in.

Mention France and one of the first things that comes to mind is the Eiffel Tower. Tell people you’ve been to Peru and they’ll assume you were there for Machu Picchu. The Great Wall will forever be a symbol of China while the Statue of Liberty remains a powerful symbol of the United States of America.

In Egypt, that one iconic attraction will always be the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Thanks to the pyramids, Egypt is a bucket list destination for many travelers but the one draw that’s often overlooked is traditional Egyptian food.

Egypt has a long culinary history that dates back to ancient times. It boasts a rich cuisine that gives Traveleaters much to look forward to in Cairo, especially those with a taste for vegetarian food.

The pyramids may be the country’s biggest draw but delicious traditional Egyptian dishes like ful medames, koshari, falafel, and shawarma will keep you coming back for more.

1. Aish Baladi

Bread is a vital component in many cuisines. Its role is often two-fold – not only is it an important part of the meal itself, but it often serves as a utensil or vessel in the consumption of food. Such is the case with Egyptian food and aish baladi.

Aish baladi (or eish baladi) is the Egyptian version of pita bread. It’s made with 100% whole wheat flour baked at extremely hot temperatures. It’s baked several times a day in Cairo and eaten at every meal so you never have to settle for stale bread in Egypt.

This type of flatbread has been produced since ancient Egyptian times. Back then, it was made with an ancient grain known as emmer wheat. Wild yeast would help the dough rise which would then be baked in traditional Egyptian clay ovens made with red mud from the Nile River.

Since ancient times, aish baladi has been a cornerstone of Egyptian cuisine. In fact, you can tell just how important it is to Egyptian culture by its name. Baladi means “traditional” or “authentic” while aish means “life”. Consumed everyday across all social classes in Egypt, it’s something that Egyptians simply cannot live without.

2. Hummus

If you’re looking for something delicious to pair with your aish baladi, then look no further than hummus. An Egyptian food favorite that’s popular throughout the Middle East, it refers to a type of savory dip made from cooked mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, garlic, cumin, and lemon juice.

The word hummus means “chickpeas” in Arabic and is a shortened version of the dish’s full name ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna, meaning “chickpeas with tahini”. The exact origins of the dish are unclear, but the earliest written recipes for a dish resembling hummus are recorded in cookbooks written in 13th century Cairo.

Typically eaten as an appetizer or dip, or as an accompaniment to other Egyptian dishes like falafel, hummus is usually served with pita bread and garnishes like olive oil, whole chickpeas, paprika, and herbs.

Interestingly, records indicate that Egyptians from the 13th and 14th centuries enjoyed a version of the dish called hummus kasa, which means “crushed hummus”. It appears to be a chunkier, less blended version of hummus made with the addition of coarsely chopped nuts. You can click on the link for the recipe.

3. Baba Ghanoush

Like hummus, baba ghanoush (or baba ghanouj) is one of the most popular dips served in Egyptian cuisine. Originally from Lebanon, it consists of mashed cooked eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices.

What I love most about baba ghanoush is its deliciously smokey flavor derived from roasted eggplant. It’s made by broiling or roasting the eggplant over an open flame and then peeling and blending it with the rest of the ingredients.

Baba ghanoush is typically served cold in Egypt, often as part of a mezze platter with pita bread or as a side dish with larger meals.

4. Ful Medames

Egyptian food gives vegetarians plenty to look forward to and ful medames may be one of the most delicious ones yet. An Egyptian national dish, it refers to a stew of creamy fava beans cooked with cumin, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, herbs, and spices.

Ful medames (or foul mudammas) is an Egyptian food staple but it’s also popular in other countries throughout the Middle East, the Levant, and North Africa. Like aish baladi, it’s an everyday Egyptian dish that can be consumed at any time of the day – for late breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. Like hummus and baba ghanoush, ful medames is typically eaten as a dip with warm pita bread.

Ful medames is typically made with fūl ḥammām or “bath beans” but it can be made with other types of fava beans as well like fūl rūmī (European broad beans) and fūl baladī (country beans).

It’s interesting to learn that in the Middle Ages, the cooking of fava beans for ful medames was monopolized by people living around the Princess Baths in Cairo, a public bath near the Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad. During the day, bath attendants would stoke fires to heat huge pots of bath water called qidras. After the bath closed at night, the fires would continue to burn so they’d simmer fava beans in the qidras and sell them the next morning.

5.Ta’ameya

Falafel is typically thought of as a Middle Eastern food (the fight about the country where it originated continues), but Egypt has its own version using dried fava beans rather than dried chickpeas. A medley of fresh herbs – parsley, dill and cilantro, along with onion, garlic, ground cumin and coriander – round out the ingredients list. Fava bean balls can be rolled in sesame seeds after frying. Pita bread (of course) makes for a perfect accompaniment as does tahini. Ta’ameya may be plated alongside a tomato and cucumber salad.

6. Molokhia

Molokhia (or mulukhiyah, molokheyya) refers to both the Egyptian soup and the leafy vegetable used to make it. Like ful medames and koshari, it’s classic comfort food in Egypt and considered by many to be an Egyptian national dish.

Molokhia is made with the leaves of the Corchorus plant, a leafy shrub commonly known as jute mallow, Jew’s mallow, or nalta jute. Aside from Egypt, it’s used in the cuisines of many other countries like Tunisia, Kenya, Haiti, and the Philippines.

Egyptian molokhia is made with finely chopped jute leaves boiled in chicken broth with sauteed garlic, coriander, and seasonings. When cooked, molokhia takes on a somewhat slimy viscosity similar to okra. The soup is typically served with rice or Egyptian flatbread and is often paired with meat dishes like roasted chicken, rabbit, or seafood.

Molokhia is a dish that many Egyptians grew up eating. According to this Egyptian food blogger, it’s used by many mothers to introduce new vegetables into their children’s diet. Most Egyptian kids take to molokhia from an early age so mothers would hide finely chopped vegetables like carrots, broccoli, peas, and beans in their mound of molokhia and rice. Sneaky!

7. Bamya

Bamya refers to a type of Egyptian stew made with okra and lamb simmered in a tomato sauce with onions, garlic, peppers, cilantro, and spices. It’s popular throughout the Mediterranean and the Levant where it exists in many variations. Bamya in Arabic means “okra”.

Bamya is a common dish in Egypt. It can be made with or without meat though many versions will contain some type of protein, usually lamb or beef. It’s often served with white rice or pita bread and a squeeze of lemon

8. Kofta Kebab

Kofta (or kefta) refers to a family of meatball or meatloaf dishes popular throughout the Levant, North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the Indian subcontinent. In Egypt, they’re typically made with different types of seasoned ground meat but they can be made with other ingredients as well like fish and vegetables. Kofta can be formed into balls, patties, or cigars and cooked in any number of ways.

Kofta kebabs are skewered and grilled koftas. Recipes vary but they’re typically made with a mixture of ground beef and ground lamb with onions, garlic, and a host of herbs and spices like parsley, mint, sumac, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, cumin, and paprika.

The meat mixture is molded over skewers and then grilled on each side for about four minutes. When ready, they can be eaten with white rice or pita bread and served with any choice of sides, salads, and dips.

9. Mombar

Mombar (or fawaregh) refers to a type of Egyptian sausage made from sheep intestines. It’s popular in the cuisines of Egypt and other countries in North Africa and the Middle East like Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Syria..

To prepare, sheep casings are stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, rice, garlic, onions, tomato paste, and seasonings. Recipes vary but commonly used herbs and spices include parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. The sausages are first boiled in water before being fried to a nice golden brown color.

10. Shawarma

Shawarma is one of my all-time favorite street foods. It’s a Levantine Arab dish that’s hugely popular as street food in Cairo and throughout Egypt. It’s widely consumed throughout the Middle East and beyond and was even famously referenced in an Avengers post-credit scene.

Shawarma consists of thinly shaved pieces of grilled meat sliced from a rotating vertical rotisserie. It’s typically served in pita bread as a pocket sandwich or wrap with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, french fries, tahini sauce, and hot sauce.

To make shawarma, thin slices of heavily-spiced meat – usually beef, chicken, lamb, or mutton – are pierced and stacked onto a vertical skewer. Larger pieces are layered on top to create a cone-like stack measuring about 60 cm (20 in) high.

A motorized spit then turns the stack against a vertical heating element to slowly roast the meat in its own juices and fat. It’s delicious and an absolute must-try in Egypt.

11. Kebda Eskandarani

Kebda eskandarani refers to a traditional Egyptian dish made with fried beef liver flavored with garlic, chili peppers, cumin, and cardamom. It’s a specialty of Alexandria where it’s commonly sold as street food.

Kebda Eskandarani is typically enjoyed as a sandwich but it can be eaten on its own as well with white rice, lime, and warm pita bread on the side.

12. Hamam Mahshi

New Yorkers may find this next dish a little tough to stomach. Pigeons are viewed as pests in some cities but in Egypt, it’s considered a delicacy. Hamam mahshi refers to a traditional Egyptian dish made with stuffed squab or young domestic pigeon.

In Egypt, mother pigeons fatten up their young in dovecotes with a nutritious secretion called crop milk. To make hamam mahshi, Egyptian cooks select the fattest 6-week old squabs. Any older and the meat becomes too tough and muscular, similar to veal becoming beef.

To prepare, the squab is stuffed with a mixture of rice, freekeh (cracked wheat), onions, giblets, nuts, and spices. The bird is grilled or roasted on a spit before being served on a bed of cracked wheat. Hamam mahshi is traditionally a dish reserved for special occasions in Egypt, but these days, it shouldn’t be too hard to find on Egyptian restaurant menus.

13. Makarōna Beshamel

This next dish may not look like it belongs on an Egyptian food guide, but makarōna beshamel is an extremely popular dish in Egyptian cuisine. It’s essentially the Egyptian version of pastitsio, a Greek baked pasta dish made with ground meat and béchamel sauce. Makarōna beshamel, in Egyptian Arabic, means “macaroni with béchamel”.

Recipes vary but makarōna beshamel is typically made with penne or macaroni baked with bechamel and a minced meat sauce made from ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, and seasonings. It’s a common sight at Egyptian banquets and gatherings, especially over the holidays.

Makarōna beshamel was introduced to Egypt in the 19th century by Greek and Italian immigrants. Today, it’s one of the most beloved comfort foods in Egyptian cuisine.