Egypt Travel Guide

Egypt's street food king — lentils, macaroni, rice and chickpeas piled into a bowl then topped with spiced tomato sauce, crispy fried onions and a drizzle of garlic vinegar. A dish of multiple textures and flavours that costs less than ₹50 and fills an entire afternoon. Abu Tarek in Cairo is the legendary address.

Egypt's national breakfast — slow-cooked fava beans mashed with olive oil, lemon, cumin and garlic, eaten with pita bread and hard-boiled eggs. The beans are soaked overnight and simmered from 3am; the best ful is served from ancient brass cauldrons at street carts that open before dawn.

Egypt's national dessert — puff pastry or bread soaked in hot milk, layered with coconut, nuts and raisins, then baked until golden. Named for Ali's mother, it's rich, fragrant and completely comforting. Served at every Egyptian hotel breakfast, but best at a local ahwa (coffeehouse).

Hawawshi is minced spiced meat stuffed into bread and baked in a wood-fired oven — Egypt's most satisfying street snack. Kofta is the grilled variant — spiced minced lamb on skewers, served with tahini and Egyptian salad. Both are eaten standing at pavement carts after dark.

Egypt's layered flatbread — dough folded over many times with butter or ghee between each layer, then baked in a wood oven until flaky and crispy. Eaten sweet (with honey and cream cheese) or savoury (with cheese and olives). Cairo's Islambouli bakeries have made it since the Ottoman period.