Egyptian Food-- Help!

[UmmSqueakster 54]

I think the biggest similarities between Indian and Egyptian foods are they're both non american, non european cuisines. Yup, that's about it ;-)

I've told the story a million times, but I'll tell it again. AbuS came at the start of Ramadan 2005. We went to an iftar hosted by the pakistani community, and AbuS gobbled down a plate of food without thinking. 15 minutes later, he came up to me, looking like he was going to die, and said he needed to go home right that very instant. Yeah, the food did not sit well with his bland, egyptian stomach.

I tend to think of Indian food as very flavorful, very exciting, with lots of obvious spices. Egyptian food is more bland and is all about the carbs. And lots and lots of meat if you can afford it. Not a lot of dishes made in sauces.

One dish that I do still make on occasion are stuffed grape leaves, although I healthify even that. I pulled a recipe from Vegetarian Dishes from Across the Middle East that had more vegetables in the stuffing, and make it with brown rice. The mahshy (stuffed vegetables) is what AbuS misses the most. All the Egyptian ladies in the community think I can't cook, because every Ramadan he gets so excited when they have mahshy at an iftar. Bah!

[Ayman___ 92]

I think the biggest similarities between Indian and Egyptian foods are they're both non american, non european cuisines. Yup, that's about it ;-)

I've told the story a million times, but I'll tell it again. AbuS came at the start of Ramadan 2005. We went to an iftar hosted by the pakistani community, and AbuS gobbled down a plate of food without thinking. 15 minutes later, he came up to me, looking like he was going to die, and said he needed to go home right that very instant. Yeah, the food did not sit well with his bland, egyptian stomach.

I tend to think of Indian food as very flavorful, very exciting, with lots of obvious spices. Egyptian food is more bland and is all about the carbs. And lots and lots of meat if you can afford it. Not a lot of dishes made in sauces.

One dish that I do still make on occasion are stuffed grape leaves, although I healthify even that. I pulled a recipe from Vegetarian Dishes from Across the Middle East that had more vegetables in the stuffing, and make it with brown rice. The mahshy (stuffed vegetables) is what AbuS misses the most. All the Egyptian ladies in the community think I can't cook, because every Ramadan he gets so excited when they have mahshy at an iftar. Bah!

Well I guess it depends on the cook.My Mother -Inlaw cooks with alot of flavor and spice.And she makes sauce everyday fresh .I guess that's why I love her food.Being Italian we use fresh tomatoe sauce and alot of garic.Some can't afford everything needed to cook.So they have bland foods. But here in my husband's city they love spice; crushed red pepper's sometimes it's to hot even though I love hot spicey foods

[Saddle Bronc 124]

My brother in law is from India and Adam is Egyptian. I would say similar but totally different if that makes sense. Riz likes alot of briyani and chicken dishes, Adam pretty much only likes Egyptian rice and mostly beef dishes. Garlic, cumin, onions,turmeric, corriander, and that stuff seems to be similar but Riz's dishes are alot more spicy than Adams IMO. Adam does like spicy, but mostly from jalapenos. Oh and curry for Riz but not for Adam

Yes--as I would say similar about Lebanese-to-Indian comparison (I actually have tasted authentic Lebanese food in US--at Cedars Restaurant, Lenox Rd, Atlanta).

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Yes--as I would say similar about Lebanese-to-Indian comparison (I actually have tasted authentic Lebanese food in US--at Cedars Restaurant, Lenox Rd, Atlanta).

Adam and I been to Cedars back home. Loved it!

[Mithra 1,185]

My husband's family cooks very bland foods so my husband is/was also used to blander foods. He doesn't like too much spice in his food and he hates hot spicy foods. I'm the opposite. I love spicy - the hotter the better. So my personal experience with Egyptian food (aside from koshary when I added lots of the hot sauce) has been that it's terribly bland. I had to buy a bottle of hot sauce in order to spice things up while I was there. I put that stuff on almost everything.

I think the biggest similarities between Indian and Egyptian foods are they're both non american, non european cuisines. Yup, that's about it ;-)

I've told the story a million times, but I'll tell it again. AbuS came at the start of Ramadan 2005. We went to an iftar hosted by the pakistani community, and AbuS gobbled down a plate of food without thinking. 15 minutes later, he came up to me, looking like he was going to die, and said he needed to go home right that very instant. Yeah, the food did not sit well with his bland, egyptian stomach.

I tend to think of Indian food as very flavorful, very exciting, with lots of obvious spices. Egyptian food is more bland and is all about the carbs. And lots and lots of meat if you can afford it. Not a lot of dishes made in sauces.

One dish that I do still make on occasion are stuffed grape leaves, although I healthify even that. I pulled a recipe from Vegetarian Dishes from Across the Middle East that had more vegetables in the stuffing, and make it with brown rice. The mahshy (stuffed vegetables) is what AbuS misses the most. All the Egyptian ladies in the community think I can't cook, because every Ramadan he gets so excited when they have mahshy at an iftar. Bah!

[FaithfulandTrue 6]

Koshary, oh how I love and miss it I tried recipes I found online but the sauce is not quite right.. if I get that right, I've got it made dang, but the pots and pans to wash afterward, oh boy

Edited June 17, 2011 by FaithfulandTrue

[amysaid 9]

My husband complains about the tomato sauce here being different than the kind he ate in Egypt... Which I don't get cause they tasted the same to me! We have yet to try to make koshary (the clean up... Lazy.) but we make macaroni béchamel now and then, Egyptian salad frequently, and fish and onion rice pretty frequently. Oh, and beef goulash. I always add spices to things because if I didn't, he wouldn't season food at all.

[Toochi1 0]

Egyptian food is nothing like Indian food!

Just put all vegetables in a red (tasbeeka) sauce!