Welcome! If this is your first time trying Egyptian food, you will look at the menu and find new names: molokhia, mahshi, fatteh, hawawshi, tarb... This guide is for you: where to start, why, and how to eat it the way Egyptians do. No need to memorise anything; just come hungry.
In this article
- 1Before you order: 3 things to know about Egyptian food
- 2Start with what you know: grills
- 3Step two: molokhia
- 4Mahshi: patience in every roll
- 5Fatteh: if you love rice and meat
- 6Hawawshi: hungry and in a hurry
- 7And finally: dessert
- 8How do Egyptians eat?
- 9Questions our guests often ask
- 10Start your experience at Rokn Warda
Before you order: 3 things to know about Egyptian food
- Home cooking at heart: most Egyptian dishes come from the home kitchen, slow-cooked, not elaborate restaurant food.
- Not spicy, generally: the Egyptian taste relies on garlic, cumin, coriander and tomato more than chilli. Spicy dishes such as Alexandrian liver are known by name.
- Food for sharing: Egyptians order several dishes for the middle and everyone tastes everything, so order different dishes with your friends.
Start with what you know: grills
If you are unsure, charcoal grills are the safe start. Kebab (seasoned chunks of meat), kofta (minced meat with spices and herbs) and lamb chops, with tahini, salad and bread. The difference from the grills you know lies in the Egyptian seasoning and in things like tarb: kofta wrapped in a thin layer of fat. If you are a group, the tableya (more on it below) gathers many kinds on one tray.
Step two: molokhia
Molokhia is the dish every Egyptian will ask you about: «Have you tried molokhia?». Green leaves finely chopped in broth, finished with a taqliya of garlic and coriander. Its texture is a little silky-slippery, which is normal, not a flaw.
How is it eaten? Either spoon it over rice on your plate or dip bread in it. It usually comes beside meat or chicken. For a first time, start with rice. We have a full article on it: molokhia the Egyptian way.
Mahshi: patience in every roll
Mahshi is vegetables such as courgette, aubergine, peppers, cabbage and vine leaves stuffed with rice seasoned with herbs and tomato. Its taste is light and slightly tangy, and it is eaten as a side with grills or meat. Tip: try mixed mahshi to taste every kind at once.
Fatteh: if you love rice and meat
If you love kabsa, you will like fatteh. Toasted bread at the bottom, rice above it, then vinegar-garlic sauce, topped with beef or lamb shank, with broth soaking through everything. Egyptians make it for Eid and feasts. The differences between its kinds are in our article Egyptian fatteh and its kinds.
Hawawshi: hungry and in a hurry
Hawawshi is baladi bread stuffed with meat seasoned with onion and pepper, cooked until crisp. A meal on its own, cut into pieces and eaten by hand.
And finally: dessert
| Dessert | What it is | Try it if |
|---|---|---|
| Om Ali | Baked pastry with milk, cream and nuts, served warm | You want something warm |
| Rice pudding | Creamy rice cooked in milk | You want something light after a heavy meal |
| Kunafa with cream | Crisp kunafa with cream | You like the classic taste |
How do Egyptians eat?
- Baladi bread is on almost every table, and much of it is used as a «spoon»: tear a piece and scoop with it.
- Rice is served in its own dish beside the casserole or the molokhia, not under the meat as in kabsa (except in fatteh). There is white rice and rice with browned vermicelli.
- Salad, pickles and tahini are always beside the food.
- The tableya: in Egyptian homes of the past, the family sat on the floor around a low, round wooden table called the tableya, with all the food in the middle. The word lives on as a symbol of togetherness and has become the name of mixed-grill trays in many restaurants.
Questions our guests often ask
Is Egyptian food heavy? Some dishes are rich, such as fatteh, trotters and mombar, and some are lighter, such as mahshi, soup and salad. For a first time, balance the two.
Must I eat molokhia with rice? No, both are right: with rice or with bread. Try both and see which you prefer.
How many dishes should I order? Egyptians usually order a main dish with side dishes to share, such as mahshi, rice and salad. For a large group, a tray of mixed grills in the middle suits everyone.
Start your experience at Rokn Warda
At Rokn Warda in Al Khobar, our suggestion for a first visit:
- For a group: the Rokn Warda tableya (grills, stuffed pigeon, shish, sausage, lamb chops, kebab, kofta and tarb with rice), or mixed grills for fewer people.
- The Egyptian taste: a molokhia casserole and mixed mahshi with Egyptian vermicelli rice.
- If you love rice and meat: beef fatteh.
- In a hurry: meat hawawshi.
- For dessert: Om Ali or kunafa with cream.
You can start with the salad buffet. Our meat arrives fresh, never frozen and the grills are over charcoal. Order from the menu for delivery in Al Khobar and Dammam, or book a table. For a longer list, read Egyptian dishes to try in Al Khobar.
