What do you think of when you hear the word “Egyptian food”?
Spicy? Sour? Or does it look delicious?
To be honest, there may not be many people in Japan who can hear the word “Egyptian food” and think of it. At least we did.
But in fact, the food in Egypt was very delicious and surprisingly palatable. Of course, you may not like it, but here are some of the dishes we tried…But in fact, the food in Egypt was very delicious and surprisingly palatable. Of course, you may not like it, but here are some of the dishes we tried…
مطعم وكشري الإسكندراني?
Sorry, it was too local and only had Arabic writing lol.
Location.
After all, the first one is Koshari. What is Koshari? If you ask me, I have one word for you: sugar bomb.
Sure, there are beans like lentils and chickpeas, but the other ingredients are rice, macaroni and pasta. I wonder if anyone has ever thought of mixing rice and pasta together before! Mix this with tomato sauce. There was also a super spicy sauce or vinegar & garlic sauce on the table for your choice.
The destructive power of hot sauce is so great that even a small stir with a spoon lightly coated with sauce will instantly spread fire in your mouth.
This is what it looks like when you mix it. The food looks the opposite of instagrammable.
In fact, on the way here, I happened to meet a freelancer named Habash who was studying Japanese, and he kindly guided me around the city and took me to this over-local Koshari restaurant. Even he was sweating. (lol).
Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to come to this shop, and if anything, I wouldn’t have been able to come to the local area where this shop is located.
Wannas art cafe ?
This is a vegetarian restaurant.
Isn’t it tasteless? You might think that, but don’t underestimate it.
In the bottom left of the photo is moussaka made in a tagine. Moussaka is one of my favorite dishes that I used to eat in Turkey. It is made of mainly eggplant and other vegetables, stewed in a tomato base. Tagine is an earthenware pot, and moussaka stewed in an earthenware pot is very tasty. The garlic flavor is very strong and addictive.
The yellow colored rice was seasoned with ginger and curry spices. It was also delicious.
This is what I had the second time I visited.
I was thinking about having moussaka again for the second time, when the waitress said, “Another one is good too, how do you like it?” I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or not, but it’s a good idea. I asked him what he recommended, and he said “stuffed fried eggplant” was also delicious, so I ordered it in a tajine. In short, stuffed eggplant. The garlic and vegetables melt in your mouth.
This was very tasty with cheese again.
Also ordered baba ghanoush.
An appetizer of grilled eggplant combined with sesame paste tahini and olive oil. It is delicious with bread. It reminds me slightly of piyaz in Antalya, Turkey. (Turkish Cuisine|Antalya)
El Fel?
This is a falafel stall.
When you hear the word falafel, you may think of Israel, but it is actually a dish that is often eaten in Egypt as well. This is another local restaurant, specializing in take-away food without chairs or tables. Or do you eat it standing up?
We decided to take away and order a non-alcoholic beer to eat with it at a nearby restaurant. Steady deliciousness. The aroma of the spices and the nice fried texture was great and I ate it easily. There’s quite a bit of cilantro in it, but it’s not too strong and complements the falafel.
By the way, the non-alcoholic beer was light and easy to drink for me personally. Even if it is sold in Japan, I think there will be enough demand for it.
Al attar restaurant & cafe?
This restaurant is popular among tourists from overseas.
The prices are a bit on the expensive side, but you get a hearty portion of delicious grilled chicken. The charcoal grill makes it much tastier.
This is Baba Ghanoush.
The baba ghanoush here was also delicious.
This is tahini. A paste made by grinding roasted sesame seeds and stretching them with oil and seasonings. This also goes well with bread.
Please note that this restaurant has a 20% service charge when it comes to the grill, and a 15% service charge on the regular menu, so it’s higher than the menu list!
I was worried about my stomach in local restaurants, but I didn’t have any stomach ache at all in Luxor. Especially, I think it is relatively safe in the restaurant which is crowded with local people.