1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (177 page)

A woman prepares baladi over a fire in Cairo, Egypt.

In a city full of local color and an endlessly vibrant street life, one of Cairo’s oldest and most folkloric sights is the
eesh baladi
vendor, most typically a woman in a flowery smock and headscarf carrying aloft a large wooden rack or basket of what appear to be balloons of bread that flatten as they cool. In the passageways of the souks and in the busy, old downtown streets, the sudden whiff of yeast and toasty grain may tempt a hungry visitor with visions of reaching up and grabbing one of the airy loaves.

Prepared with nutty, brown whole wheat flour and flecked with fragrant caraway seeds, baladi is reminiscent of the puffy fried Indian bread called
poori
, but virtually greaseless because it is baked. Torn strips of the chewy, aromatic bread may be topped with snowy chunks of salty feta cheese and sprinkled with fresh dill or mint, and the bread is also used to scoop up classic meze dips and salads such as hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh. In its very simplest, and perhaps most delicious presentation, the warm caraway-scented bread is glossed with honey or spread with butter, either of which, along with a cup of thick, strong cardamom coffee (see
listing
), makes for a fortifying breakfast.

In the unlikely event that any baladi is left over and dries out, not a crumb of the much-loved bread goes to waste. Rather, the loaves are moistened with olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice and tossed with chunks of cucumber, tomatoes, sweet green peppers, scallions, and seasonings of fresh mint or the nicely sour spice sumac. The result is known as
fattoush
, a first cousin to the Italian
panzanella
(see
listing
), both being refreshing Mediterranean summer salads that make good use of stale bread.

Further information and recipes:
Egyptian Cooking and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
by Samia Abdennour (2010);
Authentic Egyptian Cooking
by Nehal Leheta (2013);
cookingwiththebible.com
(search eesh baladi).

In the world of North African and Middle Eastern cuisine—where minimalist doughs like the paper-thin phyllo reign supreme—
feteer
is a lesser-known triumph. A flaky, thin sort of Egyptian crêpe, feteer functions more or less like pizza—spread with toppings, it is then folded and eaten sans utensils. Usually served in casual, open-fronted cafés, the kneaded, buttery yeast dough is shaped into balls and rolled out like piecrust. Tossed and twirled high in the air, it expands and stretches until translucent. The baker, of course, makes quite a floor show of the twirling, similar to that of the boldest Neapolitan pizza-tosser.

Baked to glassy crispness, the feteer is topped with all manner of savories: cheeses, eggs, meats, fish, vegetables, and sauces with scallions, mint, and hot chiles, or sweeter choices such as raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and sugar, or dried dates, figs, and apricots. A modern version takes pizza head-on, and includes mozzarella, tomato sauce, and a grated Parmesan-like cheese. However it’s filled, the feteer is a crunchy and succulently rich pastry that will surely challenge the Italian pie for your affections.

Where:
In Cairo
, Fatatri el-Hussein, tel 20/2-3709-4930.
Further information and recipes:
Egyptian Cuisine
by Nagwa E. Khalil (1980);
food.com
(search feteer bel asaag);
foodblend.wordpress.com
(search feteer);
youtube.com
(search baked egyptian feteer).

Essentially a fava bean porridge,
ful medames
is so basic to the Egyptian diet that the price of the broad, brown beans is often regulated by the government to ensure they’re affordable to the poor. As so often occurs, though, this humble breakfast dish has become stylish, albeit gussied up with some costlier add-ons.

Sold at street stands, cafés, and restaurants throughout Egypt, the slowly simmered beans transform into a creamy, earthy stew. For the most modest version, plain flaxseed oil may be stirred in at the table. Pricier bowls are glossed with olive or sesame oil, or even butter. In addition, toppings might include pickled beets, parsley, cumin, green chiles, raw or fried onions, tomato and hot sauces, and lemon juice. Hard-cooked eggs are a typical accompaniment, sometimes boiled in the soup as it cooks; the reddish-brown color of the beans and their rich, smoky flavor seeps through the shell to the egg itself. Lighter
trimmings often appear alongside, including raw salads, yogurt, pita bread, and crunchy pickled vegetables such as turnips, cucumbers, and radishes, cutting through some of the richness and rounding out this savory, super-substantial morning meal.

Where:
In Brooklyn
, Tanoreen, tel 718-748-5600,
tanoreen.com
;
in Ann Arbor, MI
, La Marsa, tel 734-622-0200,
lamarsacuisine.com
.
Further information and recipes:
egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com
(search ful medames);
epicurious.com
(search ful medames).

Pigeon dovecotes in Egypt.

Look closely at the livestock represented on ancient Egyptian tomb paintings and you will spot pigeons along with the ducks, geese, and cattle. The moist, tender, flavorful dark meat of these small birds was probably as cherished in the days of King Tut and Cleopatra as it is by latter-day gourmands—leftovers of a funerary pigeon stew dating from the second dynasty were unearthed in a tomb at Saqqara. For those and other feasts, pigeons were probably grilled over wood-charcoal fires in much the same way as they are today.

All of which should make you feel a part of ancient history as you sit down to the succulent specimens prepared at one of Cairo’s cafés, the best places in Egypt to enjoy grilled squab (as young pigeons are called). With any luck, the fire is kept properly bright as the chef works a big fan formed of long turkey tail feathers, whipping up heat to create pin-wheels of swirling sparks while guests munch on bright vegetable appetizers until the birds are ready.

Traditionally, Egyptian pigeons are raised in towering, conical dovecotes, and are considered at their succulent best at about six weeks old, before they begin to fly and develop tough muscles. Stateside, farm-raised squab can be special-ordered from many butcher shops or meat departments. While it’s rare to find squab grilled in the simple, straightforward Egyptian manner in U.S. restaurants, it couldn’t be easier to prepare at home. The cleaned, room-temperature birds should be patted dry and split in half along the backbone, then marinated for about an hour in a mixture of grated onion, salt, and pepper. Just before grilling over a smoldering wood-charcoal fire, pat each bird dry and brush both bird and grill with vegetable oil. Grill for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, basting once or twice with oil or, even better, clarified butter. The grilled squabs are best accompanied by rice pilaf, pita bread, and bowls of pickled vegetables. Depending on what else you serve, and the size of your squabs, allow at least two birds per person.

Where:
In Cairo
, Farahat, tel 20/2-2592-6595; El Mashrabia, tel 20/2-7348-3501.
Mail order:
D’Artagnan, tel 800-327-8246,
dartagnan.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Authentic Egyptian Cooking
by Nehal Leheta (2013);
Egyptian Cooking and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
by Samia Abdennour (2010);
My Egyptian Grandmother’s Kitchen
by Magda Mehdawy (2006).
Tip:
Fresh pigeons are preferable, but good quality frozen ones are fine; they should be thawed in the refrigerator before they are split.

The café is one of Egypt’s oldest landmarks.

A bracing, ruby-red beverage,
karkade
is a traditional refresher in Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. Made from dried red hibiscus flowers that are brewed and flavored with sugar and lemon juice, it is a sweet-tart restorative that suggests bright and sophisticated cranberry juice. Some prefer it hot, spiced with cinnamon and cloves, others find it more appealing ice cold, the better to appreciate its jewel-like clarity and clean flavor. Although karkade can be found in food shops and restaurants throughout Egypt, it is especially evocative at the lively El-Fishawi Café, a coffeehouse that has been a landmark meeting place for literati almost since it opened in 1773.

It is set at the edge of Cairo’s expansive Khan el-Khalili bazaar, with its seductive din, dizzying scents of spices, coffee, and grilling meats, and kaleidoscopic array of merchandise (pearl-inlaid wooden boxes, jewelry, fabrics, camel saddles, and much more). El-Fishawi is also known as the Café of Mirrors because of the looking glasses that hang, lean, and perch everywhere, reflecting the dazzling mishmash of chandeliers, artwork, and antique furniture that spills out into the market’s slim passageway.

Crowds at tables include students, local pols, haggling merchants, and tourists writing postcards. Aside from perfectly brewed karkade, El-Fishawi offers sweet mint tea (see
listing
), fragrant cardamom coffee (see
listing
),
sahlab
(the thick, creamy, hot beverage favored in wintertime), as well as small snacks. More adventurous types will want to try another of its typical pleasures:
sheesha
(also known as narghiles or hookahs), the hubble-bubble water pipes that Egyptians love to dream by, just as the café’s most famous literary habitué, the Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, did.

Where:
In Cairo
, El-Fishawi Café, Muski St. in Khan el-Khalili bazaar, tel 20/2-2590-6755.
Further information and recipes:
Egyptian Cooking and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
by Samia Abdennour (2010);
My Egyptian Grandmother’s Kitchen
by Magda Mehdawy (2006);
egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com
(search karkade).
Tip:
Dried hibiscus flowers can be found in Middle Eastern markets, and in shops catering to Jamaicans, who prepare a similar drink called sorrel punch (see
listing
).

Never mind those ancient wonders at Giza, the monumental pyramids built of sand-colored stone and granite. When hungry in Egypt, look for warm, edible pyramids of the rice and lentil dish
kosheri
(KOO-shery), a satisfying street food presented in tall, tapering mounds on huge, shiny metal platters.

A savory one-dish meal, Cairo’s version of kosheri is an irresistible medley of tiny yellow lentils and rice simmered in stock and accented with crunchy vermicelli fried to golden crispness and onions lightly browned in butter. In Alexandria, a short pasta such as orzo or elbow macaroni might be added to the mix, and for heartier versions all over Egypt, cooked ground lamb or beef is stirred in. As portions are served, they are doused with garlicky wine vinegar and fiery tomato and chile sauces, adding zest to what is essentially a hearty, protein-rich plate of beans and rice.