A vacation to Egypt was once thought to be luxurious. Obviously not the case now. Travellers on a budget can now find sites online offering the cheapest family holidays to Egypt 2013, allowing every traveller to enjoy the magnificence of the land of sands, oases, and Pharaohs. I am a budget traveller myself.
Whenever I travel to other regions, I always make every effort to maximize my experience. Thus, I don't limit myself in the hotel or resort I'm booked in. I don't limit myself in visiting places that are recommended by the guide book or travel agency. Rather, I visit more remote places, explore hidden wonders, and follow the locals' recommendations on experiences to try. Tops on my things to do list though is to ensure a gastronomic experience. A region's culture and history are virtually encapsulated in each morsel of local food. During my recent trip to Egypt gave me an opportunity to put this into practice and I can say that I definitely was able to have a grand culinary experience during my stay. Of course, I was also eager for a gastronomic adventure that would tickle my palate.
Egypt's dishes are heavily composed of vegetables and legumes which are gathered from the country's fertile and nutrient-rich lands in the Nile Valley and Nile Delta. These areas produce huge quantities of high-quality vegetables, grains, root crops, and tubers. Thus, Egyptian dishes are heavily vegetarian. Around the coastal regions that face the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, these vegetarian dishes are supplemented by fish and other seafood. Most Egyptian dishes have very little meat considering that the commodity is extremely costly even in ancient times. In fact, the majority of Egyptian dishes are made of vegetables, grains, roots, and tubers to work around this economic actuality.
Staple food for the Egyptians are bread. The whole region's culinary survival and culture is dependent on it. It is so vital that the government actually offers subsidized bread. To prove a point, let's go back to a huge food crisis in Egypt in 2008. The lines of hungry people waiting for their bread allotment became longer than usual. Patience were as short as the lines are long, resulting to flared tempers and eventually fights. Police were called in to assuage the riots.
Virtually every Egyptian meal is accompanied by bread. The most frequent local bread is Eish Masri, a thick, glutinous pita bread. Furthermore, it is typically used as an edible equipment; people use the bread to scoop up sauces, pick up kebabs, or wrap up fillings.
Egyptian dishes are also known with heavy use of spices, particularly garlic and onion. Mashed garlic is mixed with other herbs in the groundwork of spicy tomato sauces or stuffed in baked eggplant. Fried onions are used as garnishing to Koshari or to traditional green pea soup made of chopped jute leaves.
Speaking about Koshari, I have to say one thing: it is certainly delicious. Together with other people, I believe that this should be officially selected as Egypt's national dish. Koshari is an entree, which is sometimes eaten as a main meal, that is comprised of rice, chickpeas, lentils, and macaroni. The dish is then capped with tomato sauce then topped with chopped fried onions. For more taste, garlic juice may be added. Koshari can be found everywhere in Egyptian, from simple roadside eateries to fine-dining restaurants.
Whenever I travel to other regions, I always make every effort to maximize my experience. Thus, I don't limit myself in the hotel or resort I'm booked in. I don't limit myself in visiting places that are recommended by the guide book or travel agency. Rather, I visit more remote places, explore hidden wonders, and follow the locals' recommendations on experiences to try. Tops on my things to do list though is to ensure a gastronomic experience. A region's culture and history are virtually encapsulated in each morsel of local food. During my recent trip to Egypt gave me an opportunity to put this into practice and I can say that I definitely was able to have a grand culinary experience during my stay. Of course, I was also eager for a gastronomic adventure that would tickle my palate.
Egypt's dishes are heavily composed of vegetables and legumes which are gathered from the country's fertile and nutrient-rich lands in the Nile Valley and Nile Delta. These areas produce huge quantities of high-quality vegetables, grains, root crops, and tubers. Thus, Egyptian dishes are heavily vegetarian. Around the coastal regions that face the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, these vegetarian dishes are supplemented by fish and other seafood. Most Egyptian dishes have very little meat considering that the commodity is extremely costly even in ancient times. In fact, the majority of Egyptian dishes are made of vegetables, grains, roots, and tubers to work around this economic actuality.
Staple food for the Egyptians are bread. The whole region's culinary survival and culture is dependent on it. It is so vital that the government actually offers subsidized bread. To prove a point, let's go back to a huge food crisis in Egypt in 2008. The lines of hungry people waiting for their bread allotment became longer than usual. Patience were as short as the lines are long, resulting to flared tempers and eventually fights. Police were called in to assuage the riots.
Virtually every Egyptian meal is accompanied by bread. The most frequent local bread is Eish Masri, a thick, glutinous pita bread. Furthermore, it is typically used as an edible equipment; people use the bread to scoop up sauces, pick up kebabs, or wrap up fillings.
Egyptian dishes are also known with heavy use of spices, particularly garlic and onion. Mashed garlic is mixed with other herbs in the groundwork of spicy tomato sauces or stuffed in baked eggplant. Fried onions are used as garnishing to Koshari or to traditional green pea soup made of chopped jute leaves.
Speaking about Koshari, I have to say one thing: it is certainly delicious. Together with other people, I believe that this should be officially selected as Egypt's national dish. Koshari is an entree, which is sometimes eaten as a main meal, that is comprised of rice, chickpeas, lentils, and macaroni. The dish is then capped with tomato sauce then topped with chopped fried onions. For more taste, garlic juice may be added. Koshari can be found everywhere in Egyptian, from simple roadside eateries to fine-dining restaurants.
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Hunt for exclusive offers on cheap holidays in UK in the Net so you can travel to Egypt and taste nutritious, wholesome meals.. Free reprint available from: Taste the Culinary Culture of Egypt.
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