What to Eat in Egypt
Egyptian food runs on fava beans, bread, rice and greens: ful for breakfast, koshari from a street stall at lunch, stuffed vegetables at home and sweets soaked in syrup. It is cheap, filling and mostly vegetarian by habit.
A travel guide, updated in December 2025, names ful medames, koshary, taameya, molokhia and hawawshi as key Egyptian dishes.
A May 2026 guide prices koshari at 25 to 80 Egyptian pounds, ful medames at 20 to 60 and taameya at 10 to 40.
How a day of eating goes
Breakfast is ful medames or taameya with bread, costing 20 to 60 and 10 to 40 Egyptian pounds in 2026.
Street meals such as koshari cost 30 to 120 pounds, and a restaurant meal 150 to 500.
Breakfast and brunch
Breakfast is built on fava beans and bread: ful medames costs 20 to 60 Egyptian pounds and taameya 10 to 40 in 2026.
Ful medames
A fava bean dish with lemon, garlic and cumin, named by a travel guide as a key Egyptian dish.
Ta'ameya
Fava bean fritters, Egypt's version of falafel.
Feteer meshaltet
A flaky layered pastry with sweet or savoury fillings.
Bayd bil basterma
Eggs fried with slices of spiced cured beef.
Gebna bayda
Salted white cheese eaten with tomato and bread.
Aish baladi
A wholewheat pocket bread eaten at every meal.
Street food and snacks
Street meals cost 30 to 120 Egyptian pounds in 2026; hot, freshly cooked food is the safest.
Koshari
Rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas under a tomato sauce and crisp onions.
Hawawshi
Spiced minced beef baked inside bread until crisp.
Kebda Eskandarani
Liver fried with chilli and garlic, from Alexandria.
Batata
Sweet potatoes baked in a street cart oven in winter.
Shawarma
Shaved spit-roast meat in a bread wrap.
Starters and small plates
Meals open with dips, salads and pickles.
Salata baladi
A chopped tomato and cucumber salad with lemon.
Baba ghanoush
A dip of smoked aubergine and tahini.
Torshi
Vegetables pickled in vinegar and brine.
Tahini salad
A thin dip of tahini, lemon and garlic.
Dukkah
A dry mix of nuts, seeds and spices eaten with bread and oil.
Soups and stews
Soups and stews are green leaves, lentils and beans.
Molokhia
A green soup of finely chopped jute leaves with a garlic and coriander finish.
Shorbet ads
A smooth red lentil soup with cumin and lemon.
Shorbet lisan asfour
A clear soup of orzo pasta.
Bamya
Okra stewed with tomato, usually with meat.
Fasolia
White beans stewed in tomato sauce.
Main dishes
Mains are stuffed vegetables, rice with meat and fish.
Mahshi filfil (stuffed capsicums)
Capsicums stuffed with rice, herbs and minced meat, simmered in tomato.
Fatta
Layers of bread, rice and meat soaked in a garlic and vinegar sauce, for festivals.
Hamam mahshi
Pigeon stuffed with freekeh or rice.
Sayadeya
Fish served on rice coloured by caramelised onions, from the coast.
Kofta
Skewers of spiced minced meat grilled over charcoal.
Desserts and sweets
Sweets are soaked in syrup or milk.
Om Ali
A warm baked pudding of pastry, milk, cream and nuts.
Basbousa
A semolina cake soaked in syrup.
Konafa
Shredded pastry baked with cream or nuts and soaked in syrup.
Roz bel laban
A creamy milk and rice pudding.
Qatayef
Small pancakes folded round nuts or cream and fried.
Drinks
Cold drinks are hibiscus, cane and tamarind.
Karkadeh
A tart red infusion of dried hibiscus flowers, served hot or chilled.
Asab
Fresh sugar cane juice from street presses.
Sahlab
A hot thickened milk drink with nuts.
Tamr hindi
A sweet-sour chilled tamarind drink.
Lemon and mint juice
A blended lemon, mint and sugar drink.
What is changing
A May 2026 guide puts koshari at 25 to 80 Egyptian pounds, street meals at 30 to 120 and restaurant meals at 150 to 500. A December 2025 guide says service charges are often included at tourist places, with small extra tips still customary.