Falafel, mango juice and suprisingly tasty stuffed pigeon! Original Travel Egypt expert Amelia Stewart gives us the low down on her top 10 Egyptian Food and Drink...
Karkade
A refreshing pink drink from the hibiscus plant - hot or cold it's said to lower blood pressure. With a drop of lemon or a teaspoon of sugar it's a bit like a healthier Ribena and often given out on arrival at a smart hotel.
Falafel or taa'miya
The Egyptian style falafel is best eaten hot and fresh from one of the many street stalls. The best ones are moist and green on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and delicious dipped into tahini.
Sugarcane juice
A great pick me up in the summer heat, this is completely addictive drunk cold at a street stall straight from an ice cold glass. It's a wonderfully frothy pale green colour and so fresh as the sugar cane is brought in straight from the field (make sure it's made with bottled water!).
Fooul
I love this - hot crushed oily beans, and with a lovely texture, this is another typical Egyptian dish often eaten at breakfast together with falafel and sometimes eggs.
Limón
The ubiquitous summer drink, this reminds me of Egypt so much. Little lemons are sold everywhere and in fact they look like limes being very small and green, however they do taste like lemon and this drink is much like a citron pressé in France - but less syrupy.
Koshiri
I love Koshiri! And so do the Egyptians - particularly children. The combination of crispy fried onions, lentils, and small pasta bits covered in a tart tomato sauce is a winning combination. I ate this for Eid with about 100 children in a koshiri restaurant in Aswan, however, I made the mistake of spooning a dollop of black chilli oil on top. I could barely breathe - avoid!
Mango juice
ahhhh the mango - you may think this is more a juice drink found in Asia however Egypt grows fine small green mangoes that are not too sweet. It's a popular Ramadan drink and mulched up and decanted into bottles to buy for about 10 LE (50p for 1.5L). It's thick but you can still drink it through a straw.
Chatshuka
I'm not sure if this is the correct spelling but it is how it's pronounced. This is a deliciously filling combination of eggs, tomato and onion - sort of like a scrambled egg mix, and is delicious with hot fresh flat bread either for breakfast or lunch.
Mint tea
A classic. Refreshing at any time of day any day of the year but must be made with fresh mint.
Stuffed pigeon
this is a surprisingly tasty bird - a bit like duck. And it's got a great Arabic name as well: hamam mashi
