Culture Shock! Egypt - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Food and Entertaining 197

do is decide what I want to eat, go to the Otlob site, select
it, and it’s magic! Thirty minutes later, my doorbell rings
and there is my dinner—delivered with a smile and I didn’t
even have to dirty the kitchen. Yes, it’s totally decadent,
but oh, so nice! If I need to have Texas food (and there are
those days), I can go to Chili’s or Johnny Carino’s (either
in person or via Otlob.com). There are so many American
fast food chains in Egypt, I won’t even bother to mention
them. However, they are principally located in either Cairo
or Alexandria. If it exists in the US, as a rule, you can fi nd it
in Egypt.

Meals and Food

Except for a few distinctly Egyptian dishes, Egyptian cuisine
tends to be a combination of Mediterranean cuisines, typically
Turkish, Greek, Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian. Over the
years, Egyptians have modifi ed the ingredients and cooking
methods to suit local palettes. While a number of spices
are customarily used, they seem to be used in moderation.
This gives the food a rather bland taste when compared, for
example, to Mexican, Cajun or Indian food. Added to the
standard middle-class diet, you can also fi nd many restaurants
that serve sophisticated recipes copied and adapted from
Western cuisine.

Typical Dishes

„ Fuul: boiled broad or fava beans

„ Labne: yoghurt-based cheese

„ Felafel: bean cakes; also known as ta’miya

„ Roz (rice): rice with Nuts

„ Stuffed Vine Leaves

„ Baba Ghanou: dip made from aubergines, tahina, garlic and lemon

„ Moussaka: casserole of aubergine, minced meat and tomatoes

„ Omm ’Ali: bread and butter pudding

„ Rice Pudding

For more information on recipes and English/Egyptian food

names, go to Cairo Dining at:

http://www.cairodining.com.