Cairo food is simple, honest and often vegetarian by accident. Much of it is eaten standing at a counter or from paper, and it costs little. The trouble is knowing what to order. Here is a short guide.
Koshari
Koshari is the city's own dish. A bowl holds rice, lentils, macaroni and chickpeas, topped with a tomato sauce, a splash of vinegar and crisp fried onions. Add a spoon of hot sauce if you dare. It is the best first meal for a newcomer.
Ful and taameya
Ful is a slow-cooked fava bean stew, scooped up with bread. Taameya is Egypt's falafel, made from fava beans rather than chickpeas, so it is green inside. Together they make a street meal that is cheap and filling.
Feteer and hawawshi
Feteer is layered flaky pastry, baked and filled with cheese, meat or vegetables, or sweet with honey and nuts. Hawawshi is bread stuffed with spiced minced meat and baked until crisp. Both are rich, so share them.
Molokhia
Molokhia is a green soup or stew made from finely chopped leaves, cooked with garlic and coriander. It has a silky texture that surprises some visitors. It is usually served with rice, chicken or rabbit.
Sweets and drinks
Om ali is a warm pudding of pastry, milk, nuts and raisins, baked until golden. Fresh sugar-cane juice is sold at stalls across the city, pressed to order, and very sweet. Mint tea ends most meals.
- Koshari – rice, lentils, pasta, tomato sauce
- Ful and taameya – beans and fava falafel
- Feteer and hawawshi – baked pastry and bread
- Molokhia – green stew with garlic
- Om ali and sugar-cane juice – dessert and a cold drink
Trying them with a guide
Our private Cairo food tour by night runs about four hours. A local guide takes you through downtown to a koshari shop, a falafel and ful counter, a grill and a traditional cafe for sweets and mint tea. All tastings and soft drinks are included. The tour serves no alcohol.
Tell us about allergies and diets before you go. Many dishes are vegetarian, but some use meat fat or nuts, and we plan the stops around your needs.
Bread is the base of many meals. Baladi bread is a flat, soft round that you tear and use to scoop. You will see it baked fresh in small shops.
Tea is the usual drink with sweets. If you want it less sweet, ask for it with little sugar. Sugar-cane juice is fresh and cold, so it is a good way to cool off.
If you eat on your own, keep to busy places, ask before you add chili and wash your hands. A guide takes the guesswork out of the first night.
Plan with us
What to eat in Cairo
Koshari, ful, taameya, feteer, hawawshi, molokhia, om ali and sugar-cane juice: what each Cairo dish is and how to try them.