Dining in Cairo : Spicing Up Your Trip to Egypt With a Bazaar Stop at the Khan el Khalili

CAIRO —  Exploding with brightly colored wares, the sounds of bargaining and the scent of spices, Khan el Khalili, Cairo’s famed bazaar, swarmed with people.

It was 8 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the Egyptians, after fasting all day, were coming to shop, visit and dine.

“Come, we’ll show you Fetir, the famous pancake house,” shouted our friend Necla Tschirgi over the din, as a merchant laden with wooden birds on sticks rushed by. Necla and her husband, Dan, teach political science at the American University in Cairo, and they were taking us to our first meal in Egypt.

Fetir is on one of the main aisles of the bazaar. We sat at an outside table and were brought delicate crepes that had been cooked on a hot griddle and sprinkled with ground pistachios, shredded coconut and powdered sugar. They were sweet, super-light and delicious, and each pancake cost 1 and 25 piasters Egyptian (about 75 cents at the current exchange rate of 1.67 Egyptian to the U.S. dollar).

Gathering in Coffeehouse

After the pancakes we visited Fishawe, the little coffeehouse that has long been a gathering place for writers and politicians. By that time the press of the throng was so great that we all held hands to be sure we wouldn’t lose each other.

We wound our way through the alleys of the bazaar to a tiny coffeehouse with tables spilling onto the walkway. Women in traditional dress sipped hot tea from glasses stuffed with large sprigs of mint. Men puffed on elaborately decorated nargilas (water pipes).

“Egyptian food is similar to Turkish cuisine, but the Egyptians tend to use more spices,” said Necla as we sipped thick coffee from tiny cups. Ahwa turki (Egyptian coffee) can be ordered sweet ( ziada ), moderately sweet ( mazbout ) or without sugar ( sada ).

“The mezzeh , the array of cold hors d’oeuvres traditionally served at the beginning of a meal, is basically Turkish in origin,” Necla said, “and many of the variations that Egyptians enjoy are Lebanese.”

Egyptian cuisine has influences, not only from Turkey and Lebanon but also from ancient Persia, Europe and Saudi Arabia. Kebabs of lamb, beef, chicken and fish are popular, and rice and lentils are staples.

Some foods are typically Egyptian. Ful medamis is a dish of fava beans--small broad beans--simmered slowly with garlic, cumin and parsley in an idra (a narrow-necked pot) and served with lemon juice and olive oil. Taamiyya or taamia (spellings are phonetic, so a dish may be spelled differently in different restaurants) is dried fava beans mashed with chickpeas, onion and spices, and deep fried. It’s similar to the falafel served in other Middle Eastern countries.

Pigeon and Lamb

Roast pigeon is popular, as is kofta , ground lamb mixed with herbs and spices and formed into finger-shaped patties, grilled over flame. Melokhia , or molokhia , is a favorite vegetable, but we found it bitter and unappetizing. It’s made from young shoots of jute that are cooked into a viscous substance and served with lamb or chicken.

Another popular dish is kushari , or koushari . It’s macaroni, rice and lentils mixed with tomato sauce and topped with fried onions. It sounds dreadful but tastes very good. Flat, soft-crusted bread is everywhere, and is virtually the same as that served thousands of years ago.

The sweetness level of Egyptian desserts is stratospheric. Om ali , a bread pudding with nuts and raisins, is served warm with fresh cream. Katayef is a sweet pancake stuffed with finely ground nuts. Konafa , shredded pastry cooked fast on a hot metal plate and mixed with lemon juice, cloves, cinnamon and honey, may be served plain or wrapped around ground walnuts or feta cheese.

A good place to sample Egyptian specialties, Felfela is a casual restaurant just off Tahrir Square in the center of the city. Wonderful smells greeted us as we walked in the door. Behind the counter the cook was deftly lowering patties of taamais into hot oil.

We began with tahini , a puree of chickpeas and sesame seeds served with flat bread, and bessara , ground fava beans cooked with herbs and spices and served cold. The taamia were spicy, freshly cooked and not overly greasy. A special taamia Felfela came with minced meat in the center.

We also tried dawoud pacha , meatballs in a tomato sauce; kebab halla , a lamb stew with potatoes, and fata , a soup with lamb, garlic and rice bread. For dessert we had baked rice and milk, like a rice pudding. The bill came to about 10 per person ($4.40 U.S.).

For fresh pigeon we tried the Casino des Pigeons on the west bank of the Nile. The small birds come roasted plain or stuffed with rice, and two is a minimum order (for 8.52). It’s proper, in fact necessary, to eat pigeon with your hands.

Beneath the Trees

At night the restaurant is somber and dingy, but for lunch you can eat outdoors beneath eucalyptus trees and watch the feluccas, the ancient-style sailing boats, on the Nile. Battalions of stray cats wander among the tables in search of handouts.

For a more elegant setting the best restaurant is Arabesque. You walk through a small gallery hung with paintings by contemporary Egyptian artists and enter the dining room through elaborately carved mishrabya , the kind of lattice work once used to keep harem women from public view.

We began with the mezze Arabesque, which included exceptionally good tahini , bessara and babaganough , an eggplant and sesame puree. For the main course we chose bamia , a casserole of okra and lamb with onion, cumin and tomatoes. Dessert was a rich and creamy om ali . The meal cost about 25 per person.

When visiting the Pyramids you’ll find a pleasant lunch stop at the nearby Mena House Oberoi Hotel, built in 1869 for the opening of the Suez Canal. Named after the bazaar, the Khan el Khalili coffeeshop has floor-to-ceiling windows that look onto a garden. Mezzeh are served, including babaganough , pickled eggplant with garlic, and warm grape leaves filled with minced meat, spices and rice. Lamb kebabs and kofta come with khalta rice sauteed with roasted almonds and raisins. Appetizers are 2.50 to 3.30 each, and main courses about 12.25.

Many of Cairo’s hotels offer Middle Eastern specialties. The Hotel Semiramis Inter-Continental serves excellent Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine in both the Night and Day coffeeshop and the Felucca Brasserie. Both rooms have views of the Nile, and the Night and Day offers an elaborate mezzeh buffet for lunch or dinner for 17.

Lunchtime Food Carts

On Abu Aly’s Terrace at the Nile Hilton, food carts are set up at lunchtime. Visitors can buy an order of koushari for 1.90, some ful or taamia for .75, or pita bread sandwiches with lamb or kofta for 4.40.

The gardens of the Cairo Marriott, part of the lavish 19th-Century Khedive’s Palace, are a lovely spot for a snack or a cool drink. Freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice is expensive here by Egyptian standards--about 4.

Fruit juices are another of the special pleasures of dining in Cairo. Egypt is primarily a Muslim country, so alcoholic beverages are in short supply. There is Egyptian wine, but it’s practically undrinkable. The local beer, Stella, is respectable--brewing, in fact, goes back to the days of the Pharaohs--but the custom of cocktails before a meal is not big.

But you’ll find, however, delectable fruit juices including kamar el dine , a rich and sweet apricot nectar; karkade , made from dried flowers, and tamr hindi , a slightly tart beverage made from tamarind seeds.

To stay healthy in Egypt, don’t drink the water or order drinks with ice, and don’t eat any lettuce or other raw vegetables, or any fruit that has been peeled (peel it yourself).

If you happen to be in Cairo at Ramadan you’re in for a special treat. You won’t starve during the day because most restaurants stay open for their non-Muslim clientele. And in the evening you can enjoy Iftar, the first meal eaten after fasting (served from about 6:30 to 11 p.m.), and Sehour, the last meal eaten before the next day’s fast (served from about 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.).

Elaborate Buffets

All the major hotels organize elaborate buffets for both. The Marriott puts up a special tent, and at the Inter-Continental, women bake fresh bread in earthenware ovens set up on the terrace. Iftar costs about 24; Sehour is about 38 and usually includes folk songs and dances.

Some of Egypt’s most luscious desserts-- katayef , konafa and khoushaf , a mixture of fresh dates, dried fruits and nuts--are made especially for Ramadan. Next year Ramadan will begin April 6 and last for 30 days.

Reservations are advisable for Arabesque and the Felucca Brasserie but are not required for casual restaurants. A 15% service charge is often included in the price, and will be indicated on the menu or bill. It’s always all right to leave a little extra, however.

Recommended: Abu Aly’s Terrace, Nile Hilton, Cornish El Nil. Arabesque, 4 Kasr El Nil St. Cairo Marriott (gardens), Saray El Gezirah Street, Zamalek. Casino des Pigeons near Abbas Bridge on the Nile, Giza. Day and Night, Hotel Semiramis Inter-Continental, Corniche el Nil. Felfela restaurant, 15 Hoda Sharawi St. Felucca Brasserie, Hotel Semiramis Inter-Continental, Corniche el Nil. Fetir Pancake House, Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Fishawe, Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Khan el Khalili coffeeshop, Mena House Oberoi, Pyramids Road, Giza.