The variety of Egyptian recipes is endless. They
go back a very long way. As a result of subsequent colonization,
foreign influence is somewhat present, specially from the Turkish
cuisine (it is understandable after more than 300 years of Turkish
presence in Egypt). The "Pashas" living in Cairo mainly
employed the natives as help and cooks. Their kitchen doors opened to
us with their culinary secrets and, hence, Turkish food became part of
ours.
Recipes gathered here are those known to the
common Egyptian ,irrelevant of their origin. Their names in Arabic are
the ones we all know and use. Ingredients used are very easily found
in Middle East/Oriental specialty stores.
Ancient Egyptian Food and Drink The Egyptians
were very secure in that the Nile valley always yielded enough to feed
the country, even when famine was present in other nearby parts of the
world. The Egyptian's basic food and drink, bread and beer, were made
from the main crops they grew, wheat and barely. There were many types
of bread ,including pastries and cakes. Since there was no sugar,
honey was used as a sweetener by the rich, and poor people used dates
and fruit juices. Egyptians liked strong-tasting vegetables such as
garlic and onions.
They thought these were good for the health.
They also ate peas and beans ,lettuce, cucumbers, and leeks.
Vegetables were often served with an oil and vinegar dressing. Figs,
dates, pomegranates and grapes were the only fruits that could be
grown in the hot climate. The rich could afford to make wine from
their grapes.
Ordinary people ate fish and poultry. On special
occasions they ate sheep, goat, or pig; but there was little grazing
land available so meat was expensive and most people ate it only on
festive occasions.
Egyptians stored their food in jars and
granaries. Fish and meat had to be especially prepared for storage.
One method was salting. Another was to hang up the fish in the sun,
which baked them dry.
In ordinary families the cooking was done by the
housewife, but larger households employed servants to work in the
kitchen and a chef - usually a man - to do the cooking. The Egyptians
had ovens, and knew how to boil roast, and fry food. There were few
kitchen tools: pestles, mortars, and sieves.
Click below for Recipes:
