Food in Egypt
Egypt has provided some of the earliest archaeological evidences of leavened bread, although it was probably being prepared much, much earlier. That old Egyptian bread was made from emmer wheat – one of the earliest crops to be domesticated and now almost a relic - and had a dense interior.
Bread has been a staple in human diet since early history days. Egyptians from around 1200 BC were able to purchase flat bread -known as ta- from stalls in the street. The pyramids were built on bread, beer and onions.
Egyptian cuisine still includes many delicious kinds of breads, such as pita bread. Onions feature strongly in modern Egyptian diet though no beer - beer fell from favor after the Muslim conquest. Beans were such an important source of protein in the old times as they are today.
From ancient traditions to modern cooking
Egypt is a sunny country with a Mediterranean cuisine. Food is colorful and their recipes full of Mediterranean and Middle East taste. Street stands in Egypt sell many kinds of food for snacking, as well as juice drinks, one can try some of their best just by walking down the street. There are delicious recipes from Egypt, and the influence of its cuisine can be seen in many of North African cuisine and recipes from the Mediterranean.
For lunch, Egyptians often eat pita with hummus, which is a spread made with chickpeas and tahini, sesame butter, mashed and flavored with garlic and lemon juice. They also like to open the pita bread like a pocket and fill it with falafel, these are crunchy patties made of chickpea mash flavored with herbs.
Kebabs are a popular dinner in Egypt. To make kebabs, take cubes of meat and thread them on a stick alternating with vegetables then grill over a fire. Meat would usually be lamb or chicken and it can be marinated to make it tender.
Kebabs are not the only way Egyptians have their meat, they like stews and ground meat dishes similar to these familiar to Western cooking through Greek cuisine.
Bread Days gone by
Who would have said eating bread may harm your teeth? Nevertheless many Ancient Egyptians would have their teeth worn down to the roots as they got older. This happened because sand would often get mixed in with the flour when people were making the bread and just by munching bread daily they would wear their teeth down.
The diet of ancient Egyptians consisted mostly of bread, fruits, and vegetables. Their main beverage was beer.
In Ancient Egypt, people used to cook their meals on the rooftop. Desert climate makes days extremely hot and setting up the stove on top of their houses helped keep the houses cooler inside.
The workers of the Great Pyramid in Egypt were fed garlic to increase their strength and stamina. Garlic was entombed with King Tutankhamen, the Egyptian Pharaoh, in the belief that it would give him eternal strength.