Thanks to the rich soil of the Nile River Valley and the Delta, Egypt's cuisine is supplemented by bountiful harvests of vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Popular ingredients you'll taste on Egypt group tours include fava beans, lentils, chickpeas, eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and citrus fruits. Spices like cumin, coriander, and cardamom are typical in many Egyptian dishes, as is a clarified butter called ghee.
Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. While meals usually center around vegetables and stews, some meat dishes are also popular. Here are some of the bites to seek out on trips to Egypt:
- Lamb kebabs
- Skewered, spiced meat patties called kofta
- Eish baladi, Egyptian bread that's similar to pita bread and is commonly used to scoop up food
- A hearty dish called kushari, which is a mixture of pasta, rice, chickpeas, lentils, tomato sauce, and fried onions
- Baba ghanoush
- Falafel
- Stuffed grape leaves
- Fish from the Red Sea
- Tea, the national drink, which is offered at breakfast, after lunch, and in most social situations
Keep in mind that you should only drink bottled water on Egypt guided tours. It's best not to drink tap water, including when brushing your teeth, and you should avoid eating fresh fruits and vegetables unless they are cooked or washed in clean water and peeled.