Cairo Food Guide – 10 Egyptian Dishes You Must Try

Eat Like a Local in Cairo

Egyptian cuisine is hearty, flavourful, and deeply connected to the country's ancient history. Many dishes have been eaten in essentially the same form for thousands of years. Here are the foods you absolutely must try.

1. Koshari

The unofficial national dish: a satisfying blend of rice, lentils, pasta, chickpeas, and caramelised onions, topped with a spiced tomato sauce and vinegar. Simple, cheap, and utterly delicious.

2. Ful Medames

Slow-cooked fava beans seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and garlic. One of Egypt's oldest foods – paintings of ful pots appear on ancient tomb walls. The quintessential Egyptian breakfast.

3. Ta'meya (Egyptian Falafel)

Unlike the chickpea falafel popular elsewhere, Egyptian falafel is made from crushed fava beans, giving it a distinctive green interior and lighter texture. Served in warm bread with salad and tahini.

4. Hawawshi

Spiced minced meat baked inside crispy bread – Egypt's version of a meat pie. Street-food perfection, best eaten hot from the oven.

5. Molokhia

A thick, richly flavoured soup made from jute leaves cooked with chicken or rabbit broth and garlic. Believed to date back to ancient Egypt.

6. Grilled Kofta

Seasoned minced lamb or beef shaped around skewers and grilled over charcoal. Served with flatbread, salad, and tahini.

7. Fresh Juice

Cairo's juice bars are legendary. Sugar cane juice, freshly squeezed mango, guava, and karkadeh (hibiscus) are all outstanding.

8. Feteer Meshaltet

Egypt's flaky, buttery layered pastry – sometimes called Egyptian pizza. Served sweet with honey or cream, or savoury with cheese or egg.