History and food

Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians left

evidence for their love for food. Well-preserved wall
paintings and carvings Have been dicovered on tombs
and temples depicting large feasts and a variety of
foods. Many of these ancient foods are still eaten in
Egyptian households today. Peas, beans, cucumbers,
dates, figs, and grapes were popular fruits and
vegetables in ancient times. Wheat and barley,
ancient staple crops, were used to make bread and
beer. Fish and poultry were also popular.

Meals
Some meals in Egypt are:
Ful Mudammas (Broad Beans in Sauce)
Koushari
Shai (Mint Tea) and Baklava
Lemon and Garlic Potato Salad
Gebna Makleyah (Oven-Fried Cheese)

FOOD FOR RELIGIOUS AND HOLIDAY

CELEBRATIONS
For religious and holiday celebrations the Egyptians
make :
Bamia (Sweet and Sour Okra)
'Irea (Cinnamon Beverage)
Khoshaf
Lettuce Salad

Ingredients and procedure

Ful Mudammas (Broad Beans in Sauce)

Ingredients
2 cans (15-ounce each) cooked fava beans
6 cloves garlic, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
cup olive oil
1 Tablespoons parsley, minced
Garnish, such as radishes, hard-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, pita bread (toasted and
cut into wedges)
Procedure
Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press into a medium bowl.
Mash the garlic and salt together.
Next, add the lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley to the garlic mixture and combine
thoroughly.
Drain the beans well, rinse, and put beans into a large pot over low heat.
Add garlic mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine thoroughly.
Serve warm with the garnishes arranged on a platter.
Each person is served a plateful of Ful Mudammas and adds the garnishes of his or her
choice.

Koushari (Lentils, Macaroni, Rice, and Chickpeas)

Ingredients
1 cup lentils
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 cup rice
1 can (15-ounce) chickpeas (also called ceci)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
S AUCE :
1 cup canned tomato puree
cup olive oil
2 onions
1 garlic clove, or to taste
Procedure
Prepare lentils: Place the lentils in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Place them in a
large saucepan with 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt.
Heat until the water begins to boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for about 1
hour until lentils are tender. Drain and set the lentils aside.
Prepare the macaroni: Fill the same saucepan with water (add salt if desired).
Heat until the water begins to boil.
Add the macaroni and boil about 12 to 15 minutes, until macaroni is tender.
Drain and set the macaroni aside. (It is okay to combine the macaroni and
lentils.)
Prepare the rice: Heat the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the same saucepan. Add
the rice and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, thoroughly coating the rice with oil.

Add 2 cups of water and heat until the water begins to boil. Cover
the saucepan and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Assemble koushari: Drain chickpeas and rinse. Add chickpeas, lentils,
and macaroni to cooked rice and toss very gently with a fork.
Make sauce: Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthwise. Slice each
half crosswise into thin slices.
Heat cup olive oil in a skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring often with
a wooden spoon, until onions are golden brown.
Add garlic clove and cook 1 or 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato puree and
heat until bubbly.
Now pour the sauce over the lentil mixture and heat over very low heat
for about 5 minutes, until completely warm.
Serve with pita bread.

Shai (Mint Tea) and Baklava

Ingredients
1 package mint tea (loose or in tea bags)
Sugar
4 to 6 cups water (depending on how many people are being served)
Procedure
Bring water to a boil.
If using loose tea, measure 1 teaspoon of tea leaves into a teapot for each
person being served.
Otherwise, place one tea bag per person into the teapot.
Pour boiling water over tea.
Allow to steep (soak) for about 3 minutes.
Pour tea into cups. (In Egypt, small glass tumblers are used.)
If loose tea is used, allow the tea leaves to settle to the bottom of the pot, and
pour carefully to avoid disturbing them.
Add 4 or 5 teaspoonsful of sugar to each cup.
Enjoy with a piece of baklava, purchased from a bakery.

Lemon and Garlic Potato Salad

Ingredients
2 pounds of red potatoes, scrubbed but with skin left on
cup parsley, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemons
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
Boil potatoes until tender ( hour to 1 hour, or until a fork can
easily pierce the skin) and let cool.
Add parsley, garlic cloves, lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper;
mix well.
Chill and serve.

Gebna Makleyah (Oven-Fried Cheese)

Ingredients
1 cup firm feta cheese, crumbled, or traditional Egyptian cheese such as labna or gebna
1 Tablespoon flour
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Lemon wedges and pita bread cut into triangles, for serving
Procedure
Preheat oven to 400F.
Place the cheese, flour, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well with very clean
hands.
Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.
If the mixture seems too loose to hold the ball shape, add a little more flour.
If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit of lemon juice, vinegar, or water.
Pour 2 or 3 Tablespoons olive oil onto a cookie sheet to grease.
Arrange the cheese balls on the cookie sheet, rolling them around to coat thoroughly
with the oil.
Bake 5 minutes.
Wearing an oven mitt, open the oven door and shake the cookie sheet to prevent
cheese balls from sticking and to turn them.
Bake 5 more minutes, until golden brown.
Remove with a spatula and drain on absorbent paper.
Serve warm with lemon wedges and triangles of pita bread

Bamia (Sweet and Sour Okra)

Ingredients
1 pound small okra pods
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
cup water
Procedure
Wash the okra and pat it dry with paper towels.
Discard any blemished or hard pods.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan and saut the okra in the
oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning each pod once.
Add the honey, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and water. Cover, lower
the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, adding more water if
necessary.
Serve hot.

'Irea (Cinnamon Beverage)

Ingredients
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
1 cup cold water
Mixed nuts
Procedure
Place the cinnamon and sugar in a small saucepan with the cold
water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes,
or until it is brownish.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the drink into a cup.
Serve with mixed nuts sprinkled into the cup.

Khoshaf
Ingredients
1 cup dried prunes
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried small figs, halved
1 cups raisins
1 cup sugar, or to taste
2 cups boiling water
Procedure
Place all the fruits in a bowl and mix together gently.
Sprinkle the sugar on top of the dried fruits.
Carefully pour the boiling water into the bowl, cover, and allow
to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight if possible. ( Khoshaf
is best when allowed to marinate overnight or for several hours
before serving.)

Lettuce Salad
Ingredients
1 small head of lettuce, shredded
cup orange juice
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoons pepper, or to taste
Procedure
Toss lettuce with orange juice.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

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