Egyptian Food Recipes: Ancient Egyptian Foods That Are Still Popular Today

Ancient Egyptian food recipes that still survive today were mostly handed down from generation to generation through oral tradition. The ancients did not appear to have written down their Egyptian food recipes, so scholars have only deduced their main diet and how they prepared their food through paintings and hieroglyphs in tombs, and other ancient structures that depict festivals and other secular celebrations.

Egyptian food recipes are not without outside influence. The Romans made their own contributions to Egyptian kitchens in 30 B.C.; the Arabs in 600 A.D.; and the Ottomans (Turks) in the early 15th century. The most famous contribution of Arab soldiers (who had to eat on the go) was the shish kebab, roast meat they cook on open flames and skewered on the tips of their swords. The Ottomans left their mark in tahini, hummus and kofta.

One of ancient Egyptian food recipes that is still enjoyed by modern Egyptians is Ful Medames. You need ½ lb. ful or fava beans that have to be soaked for 12 hours. Then, the beans are placed in a pan, covered with water, boiled and simmered until tender. Drain excess water and add crushed garlic. This can be served with eggs since this is one of Egyptian food recipes that is meant for breakfast.

Some Great Egyptian Food Recipes

Another ancient food that has made its way to modern Egyptian food recipes is Ta’amia. You need 1 lb. fava beans, soaked overnight and drained; 2 cloves finely chopped garlic; 2 large finely chopped onion; up to 2 teaspoons ground coriander; up to 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ cup minced parsley; a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Sesame seeds for coating and olive oil for frying are also going to be needed for one of the tastiest Egyptian food recipes. To prepare, skin the beans (if they are not easily skinned, they may need to be soaked a bit longer) and mix them with all of the other ingredients. Mash or blend the ingredients in a food processors until a thick paste is achieved. Then allow the flavors to mix by setting aside the paste for 30 minutes. Knead the mixture so you can make small cakes of about 2 cm. thick. Each side should be coated or sprinkled with sesame seeds before shallow-frying in olive oil until golden brown. Bread is ever-present in Egyptian food recipes, and Ta’amia goes well with it along with lettuce tossed in olive oil, lemon juice and pepper.

Tigernut Sweets has always been in Egyptian food recipes as desserts. You need 200 grams fresh dates, a tablespoon of cinnamon powder, 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons finely ground almonds and honey. To prepare, you can blend the date with water in a food processor to make a rough paste. Then season the paste with cinnamon and top with chopped walnuts. Make small balls out of the mixture and coat the balls in honey and finely ground almonds before serving. Tigernut Sweets is definitely one of those desserts that deserve its place in Egyptian food recipes.