Egypt

A round, puffed whole-wheat sourdough flatbread from Egypt, baked at extreme deck-oven heat to form a hollow steam pocket, and consumed daily as the foundational bread of Egyptian cuisine.

A Levantine/Egyptian mezze of aubergine charred over open flame until smoky, then mashed with tahini, lemon juice and garlic into a creamy dip.

A dense semolina cake soaked in fragrant rose- or orange-blossom sugar syrup and studded with almonds.

Fattah is a celebratory layered dish featuring toasted bread, rice, and braised or roasted lamb (or other meat) moistened with a vinegared tomato‑garlic broth.

An Egyptian multi‑layered laminated pastry of paper‑thin dough folded with abundant ghee or butter and baked in a very hot oven into countless flaky strata, served plain, sweet with honey and cream, or savory with cheese or meat.

Dried fava beans slow-cooked until completely tender in their own starchy liquid, then dressed at service with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and cumin — the foundational breakfast of Egypt and a staple across the Levant, Sudan, and the Horn of Africa.

A whole young pigeon (squab) stuffed with a spiced grain filling — classically freekeh or rice with onion — then roasted, grilled, or fried until the skin is deeply burnished.

An Egyptian stuffed bread of spiced minced meat sealed inside flat baladi bread (or dough) and baked or fried until the crust is crisp and the filling juicy.

A deep crimson infusion of dried hibiscus (roselle) calyces steeped in water and sweetened, drunk hot in winter or iced in summer.

A dessert of shredded wheat pastry (kataifi) layered around sweet cheese or cream, baked until crisp and golden, then drenched in fragrant sugar syrup.

Egypt's national street dish: a layered assembly of rice, brown lentils, and short macaroni blanketed in cumin-spiced tomato sauce, finished with crispy fried onions and served with garlic-vinegar and chili sauces on the side.

Vegetables (and grape or chard leaves) hollowed or wrapped and stuffed with herbed, tomato-seasoned rice, then slow-cooked in a flavored broth.

A viscous, intensely green soup of finely chopped jute mallow leaves (Corchorus olitorius) simmered in meat broth, finished with a sizzling ta'liya of garlic and ground coriander bloomed in fat, and served over rice or flatbread alongside the braising meat.

A thick, viscous soup of finely chopped jute-mallow leaves (Corchorus olitorius) simmered in rich meat broth and finished with a sizzling taffeya of crushed garlic and ground coriander fried in ghee, served over white rice or alongside flatbread.

An Egyptian milk-and-rice pudding simmered until thick and creamy, scented with rose or orange-blossom water and served chilled.

A coastal Arab dish of rice cooked in fish stock and deeply caramelised onions, served with whole or filleted fried or baked fish.

A Levantine street food of spiced marinated meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie, slow-roasted and shaved thin into flatbread with sauce and pickles.

Shorbet Ads is a smooth Egyptian red lentil soup blended with cumin and turmeric and brightened with a squeeze of lemon at the table.

Ta'ameya is a traditional Egyptian deep‑fried patty made primarily from split fava beans, fresh herbs, and onions, coated with sesame seeds and served in a pita with salads and tahini.

An Egyptian warm bread pudding of torn flaky pastry baked in sweetened milk with nuts, raisins and coconut, finished with a browned creamy top.