Ask ten Egyptians where to eat, and they will argue for an hour. Ask them what to eat, and most will say the same word: koshari. It is the country's great everyday dish, sold in bright, busy shops from Alexandria to Aswan, and eaten by students, taxi drivers and business people side by side.
What is in a bowl of koshari
Koshari looks simple but it is built in layers, and every layer matters:
- Rice and brown lentils, cooked together until soft.
- Macaroni and vermicelli, for body and texture.
- Chickpeas, scattered on top.
- Tomato sauce, spiced and sharpened with vinegar.
- Crispy fried onions, the crunchy crown that every good shop is judged by.
Then come the two bottles on every table. Da'ah is a thin garlic and vinegar sauce, and shatta is a fiery chili sauce. Egyptians add them little by little, tasting as they go, until the bowl is exactly the way they like it.
A dish with many parents
Koshari is a true Egyptian mix. Rice and lentils have been eaten together in the region for centuries, and a popular story says the name comes from khichri, a rice and lentil dish from India that arrived with travelers in the 19th century. Italian pasta joined later. Somewhere along the way, Egyptians combined them all, added their own sauces, and made the dish completely theirs.
Koshari is the proof that a few humble ingredients, put together with care, can feed a whole nation.
How to eat it like a local
Koshari shops work fast. You choose a size, pay at the counter, and your bowl arrives in minutes. Mix everything together before the first bite so each spoonful has a bit of everything. Many people finish with a small bowl of roz bel laban, a cool rice pudding, to calm the chili.
Amwaj tip: ask for the da'ah and shatta on the side, and start gently: Egyptian chili sauce is stronger than it looks. Koshari contains no meat or dairy, so it is a safe choice for vegetarian and vegan travelers.
On our Cairo days, your guide will happily point you to their own favourite koshari shop. Everyone has one, and every one of them is "the best in Egypt".
Where to eat koshari on your trip to Egypt
You will find it almost everywhere, from large shops with bright signs and several floors to tiny counters near train stations and markets. A busy shop is the best sign: the pots empty quickly, so everything on your plate is freshly made. Most shops offer a few sizes, from a small bowl to a large one for the hungriest travelers.
If you are new to Egyptian street food, this is an easy first step: there are no surprising ingredients, and you decide how much heat to add. Many shops also pack it to take away in a sealed tub, which is handy for a long train or car ride.
The dish is just as popular in Luxor and Aswan as it is in Cairo. To plan food stops around your sightseeing, Egypt's official tourism site has ideas for every region.
Top photo: Arria Belli, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
