Egypt: the food!

[Warning: two of the pictures in this post are rotated for some reason, even though they're not rotated on my computer. I tried fixing them, but to no avail. So...do some neck exercises to see them in their full glory and enjoy!]

Food in Egypt is two fantastic things: delicious and cheap. You can get shawerma [chicken or beef cooked on a constantly rotating skewer like Döner Kebab] in a bun for 60 cents each and a pita stuffed with foul [pronounced "fool," pretty much refried beans], falafel, or French fries for a mere one pound [17 cents!] each.

Of course, that's street food, and prices can get much higher in restaurants.

Fatir, known by some as the "Egyptian pancake." Very flaky - pretty much phyllo dough. Can be savory [with cheese, etc.] or sweet [honey, powdered sugar...].

Koshary, best described as Egyptian chili. Rice, noodles, lentils, chickpeas, and fried onions on top. You add a red sauce and a mixture of garlic and vinegar to your liking and then mix it all up. Someone commented that it's an ideal meal for cold climates - which begs the question, why do Egyptians eat it?!? Probably because it's delicious - and, of course, cheap. A small portion, which is enough to satiate your averagely hungry person, is $1.20 in Abu Tarek [picture below], one of the most famous koshary restaurants, and only 50 cents in a less touristy restaurant.

Rice, chicken, and mulukhiya, a soup made of jute leaves. Well, I just found out what it's made of when I looked it up on wikipedia just now. I also found out that jute is also used to make burlap. Mmmm, burlap soup. But actually, it was pretty alright, except for the consistency, which was a bit too slimy and snotty.

But the cat liked it.

To accompany meals, I usually had hibiscus juice, hibiscus Mirinda [pretty much Fanta], or Fayrouz, an Egyptian pop that usually came in pineapple or apple flavor. AND I drank the tap water the whole time and am not dead yet.