Cairo’s iconic street dish of rice, lentils, macaroni, chickpeas, spicy tomato sauce, and fried onions—chaotic yet harmonious. ¹⁾

Spiced minced meat stuffed into flatbread and baked or grilled, crisp outside and juicy inside. ²⁾

Baked molokhia with meat or chicken, thicker and more robust than the soup version. ³⁾

Rice, toasted bread, garlic vinegar, and meat layered with tomato sauce, celebratory and indulgent. ⁴⁾

Alexandria-style spicy liver popularized by Cairo street vendors. ⁵⁾

Rice baked slowly with milk, butter, and sometimes meat, creamy inside with a golden crust. ⁶⁾

Egyptian-style shawarma using beef or chicken, heavily garlicky and lightly spiced. ⁷⁾

Fava bean falafel fried crisp, greener and lighter than Levantine chickpea versions. ⁸⁾

Pigeons filled with rice or freekeh, roasted until tender—an urban delicacy. ⁹⁾

Zucchini, peppers, grape leaves, and eggplant stuffed with herbed rice, a Cairene household staple. ¹⁰⁾

Salt-fermented mullet eaten during Sham el-Nessim, controversial yet deeply traditional. ¹¹⁾

Gelatin-rich cow’s feet soup served in downtown eateries, hearty and restorative. ¹²⁾

Semolina cake soaked in syrup, often topped with almonds or cream. ¹³⁾

Bread-and-milk pudding with nuts and raisins, baked until bubbling and golden. ¹⁴⁾

Thick, warm winter drink made from orchid starch or cornstarch, topped with nuts and coconut. ¹⁵⁾