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

200 CultureShock! Egypt

Egypt taste better than any I have tasted in years, especially

the different varieties of oranges, lemons, peaches,

strawberries and melons. However, many of the apples are

imported and seem to be mealy by the time you get them.

Egyptian bazaars display staggering amounts of spices,

sculptured into colourful spice pyramids, from yellows of

saffron and ochres of curries to deep blues of powdered

indigo dye.

Recipes To Try

Here are two of my favourite recipes, kindly given to me by my

friend, Amany.

Meatless Stuffed Vine Leaves

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil

2 medium onions, minced

1 cup short grain rice

½ cup pine nuts

¼ cup raisins

50–60 preserved vine (grape) leaves

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

½ teaspoon ground allspice

salt and pepper to taste

2 lemons, thinly sliced

(in Egypt, lemons are like key limes in the US)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Boiling water

Method:

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté until

translucent. Add rice then sauté until rice is glazed. Add pine nuts,

raisins, dill, allspice, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Cut

stems from grape leaves and place in a large bowl. Pour boiling

water over the leaves. Drain and rinse then leave to cool. Line the

bottom of a large saucepan with 2–3 large vine leaves. Set aside.

(Continued on the next page)