I Survived Egypt’s Craziest Street Food for 9 Days!! [Full Documentary]

I Survived Egypt’s Craziest Street Food for 9 Days!! [Full Documentary]

You probably know Egypt for having the most fascinating history on Earth. But did you know Egyptian food is another reason you should visit? In this ultimate documentary, we’re traveling across Egypt to uncover the most authentic. Every bite is an adventure. Exciting and bathing in meat steam and mouthwatering Egyptian food. For the next 9 days, our mission is to find out what real Egyptians eat. From the craziest streets of Cairo, they’re like acrobats. To the peaceful banks of the Nile River, we’re going to try the most insane Egyptian street food. That’s hot. Taste the best fool and falafel of your life. He has to be the greatest falafel maker in Egypt. Discover why Egyptians consider this the king of kebabs. the juiciest minced meat you can possibly have and even try a fish that was loved by the pharaohs. Along with all the food, I’m going to show you the most jaw-dropping archaeological sites you can’t miss. I mean, after all, we’re in ancient Egypt, and by the end of this video, you will have seen over 30 Egyptian meals and know exactly where to eat and what to do when you visit Egypt. Oh, we just landed. Welcome to Cairo, Egypt. I’m so excited to be here. Uh, the last time I was in Egypt, I think it was in 2010 or 2011. That was a long time ago. And I made some of my original food videos back then. Okay. I don’t know if you can really call them videos. They were more like clips. Uh, but that was a long time ago. I’m so happy to be back. And this time we’re going big for Egyptian food and also history. But actually, Cairo, we are going to come back for you. We have a lot of food to eat in Cairo. But first, we just landed at the international airport. We’re going to head over and we’re going to catch an Egypt airflight to the south of Egypt. And we are going to first begin our Egyptian tour uh in Luxor and Asawwan and then come back to Cairo in I think 3 days. Okay, we’re on our way to Luxor. Should just be about a 1h hour flight. Aban, what’s up, man? Yes. Are you ready for the ultimate? Thank you. Ready for the ultimate Egyptian food tour? Yeah, let’s go. We made it to Luxor. Everyone say hello to Abanoo. We’re going to be together for this ultimate Egyptian food tour. And we’re starting here in Luxor. This is going to be an epic trip. Hello. Hello. What’s your name? Thank you, Mark. Mark. Yes. Nice. All right, just made it to the hotel and we have officially made it to the south of Egypt, which is better known as Upper Egypt. Uh, home to the Valley of the Kings. Tomorrow we have a big day ahead of us. I’m honestly extremely tired. It’s been a long, long day. 20 I think over 24 hours. 28 hours of traveling to get here. Uh, but we made it and I’m excited to get this Egyptian tour started tomorrow. But for now, going to get some rest. So, good night. See you tomorrow. My name Wal. W you can me. Okay. And you’re going to be our guide today? For today. My pleasure. Okay. The other side you can see the map of Egypt. We are here in the luxur this north of Aswan and the south of Cairo, the new capital to Egypt. So, we’re beginning this morning at the Temple of Luxor. And we’re here at 7:30 a.m. before most of the tour groups are here. So, it’s really quiet, really peaceful, and absolutely stunning. Just the scale, the magnitude, it’s so impressive. Unbelievable. Behind me is Ramsay’s II, and this temple is dedicated to Amanra. Look at the temples. You look at the monuments and they’re huge. But then you look at the details and that’s what blows your mind as well. All the etchings and carvings, everything telling a story. Our guide, Mr. Wid, was just explaining to us this is King Tutan Common. And that’s why he looks like a a child, very young. Everything tells a story. Raw. Almond. Raw, all the kings, all the gods. Mind-blowing. Okay, but that pretty much completes our time here at the temple of Luxor. We got to move on. Okay, we jumped back in the van. We’re on our way to the temple of Carnak. Welcome to the great hypo style hall, the biggest in the world. There’s 134 columns and each of them is I believe 21 m high built by King Ramsy’s II. And you often see like the overview, but wait till you see the closeup. They’re huge. They really are colossal. That was amazing. I mean, the hypo style hall is a highlight of visiting Egypt, a highlight of history in the world. Incredible. Uh, from here, let’s go eat. Oh man, we’re getting way out in the the neighborhood. So yeah, for lunch today we are going to a local restaurant in the neighborhood that should specialize in some like homestyle home-cooked food. And this is the restaurant here. A local restaurant tucked within the neighborhood in Luxer. There’s no real menu here, but you just kind of order I think they have chicken rooster and some type of uh chopped local beef. Wow. All the salads and vegetables come out. Excellent. Stuffed oberine eggplants. Oh, and now the soup comes. Okay. Oh, man. The dishes just keep on coming. And these the I think all these dishes are included with your meal that you order. Beans. Spinach. Spinach. Okay. Oh, I love the the Egyptian bread. It’s like fluffy. Oh, and just so good and kind of like bubbly as well. And I want to try the the spinach. Oh, that’s incredible. Yeah, you can’t find this anywhere in Egypt. It’s a traditional home cooking. So good. It really is like just melts in your mouth. Okay. The beans. These are white beans. Yeah, white beans. Yeah. Really good. Yeah. Tomatoy, a little bit garlicky. Again, cooked down until stewed down until they’re really tender, really soft, melt in your mouth. So, what is this dish we got? It’s beef. Yeah. Mala is beef and uh they put it with ghee and uh cook it in the oven. Oh, okay. It’s very tender and you’ll like it. Yeah, it looks amazing. And then served with we have rice with rice noodles inside as well. Oh man, looks so good. I’ll take a piece of the beef. Yeah, it looks incredible with the rice vermicelli. Oh man. Wow. Yeah. really good. It’s so tender. Yeah. It’s so moist as well. And the flavor of that ghee just broken down the muscle of the meat just embedding it with that flavor, man. That melts in your mouth. That’s so good. It’s so natural tasting as well. I’m going to try that chicken. Look at that skin. It’s a roast rotisserie chicken. Okay. Oh, man. That looks so good. Oh, chicken is amazing. Salty, juicy, the skin is crispy. Get some of the chicken. Chicken and then into the tahini is a must. Chicken and tahini is a perfect combination. Very good food. Thank you. Thank you. Oh man, that was a delicious local meal. Uh, incredible. From here, we’re going to continue sightseeing in Luxor and we’re on our way to uh the Valley of the Kings. Should be about a 25 to 30 minute drive from the center of Luxor. And we got to cross over the Nile River. So within the valley of the kings, there’s over 60 tombs and also some of the most famous pharaohs and rulers of all of Egypt are buried within their tombs within this valley. uh including Tutan Common, including Seti I including Ramsy’s. Okay, so here we are. We’re gonna enter King Ramsy’s IV. So, we’re in kind of the hallway to the burial chamber and already it’s just so impressive. All the hieroglyphics, all the symbols, all the Egyptian spells and writings. Oh, here we are at the tomb. And it’s just one of those places that just leaves you speechless from the tomb. Just the unbelievable colors from blue to yellow to red. Everyone just jaw dropped just looking around in 360s in all directions. So, next up, we’re going to enter the tomb of Memite. Um, and it’s just a theory. It’s not proven, but some people think that he was the pharaoh at the time of Moses. Yeah, we’re good. So, for this one, it’s really carved deep into the mountain, into the rock. I did notice everyone coming back up was breathing pretty heavily. So, you got to hike down. All right, made it down to the bottom. Where the tomb, the sarcophagus is is the huge stone box. And this one down here, it’s pretty deep, so it’s pretty warm and humid. And maybe that’s also why some of the the paintings are not as well preserved in the colors, but it’s still just absolutely incredible. Now we got to walk back up. It’s so impressive. Your visit to Egypt would not be complete without visiting Luxor and the unbelievable history. This Valley of the Kings and Luxor is one of the great archaeological historical sites of the entire world. That’s without a doubt. It’s a beautiful evening in Luxar and Abanub and I are going to go eat at one of the most legendary local barbecue, a grill restaurant, Egyptian barbecue. This is the restaurant. It’s called Um Hashimash. Um Hashimash. Umahash. Umahashim. Umahasham. Okay, we’re going upstairs. Oh, what a spot. Oh, look at that staircase. Yes, the grills. The kitchen is at the bottom, but we’re going to come upstairs to order first. This is the main dining room. Oh, yes. Oh, nice. Okay. You’re welcome. Okay. Thank you, Shakran. Shakran. Okay. Thank you. So, upstairs it opens up into a full dining room. Uh, this restaurant has tons of character. You could just tell just from walking in here the style that this place is legendary. What do you think is the best thing to get here? Yeah, we can get the grills. Yeah. The mixed grills. Yeah. Tarb or we choose our own chops and tar. It must and maybe uh uh Okay, sure. Oh, nice. He’s putting on a bunch of meat, chicken, kebabs right now. Oh, these have already been marinating one of their famous dishes here, the lamb chops. Okay. So in Egypt actually the minced meat is all called kfta and then kebabs are usually chunks of meat but the main one of the kab ke kebab one of the main uh kftas we got is uh actually with the call fat. So there’s minced meat inside with the call fat from the sheep that’s stomach fat wrapped up into almost a sausage formation. Oh man that is going to be fatty and full of flavor. Oh yeah, my friend. This one is liver meat. Oh, meat with onions. The meat with onions. Yes. Yes. Oh, but meat goat goes in. Okay. Oh, and this is going to be served in the tajine. Oh, man. That smells incredible. All those simmered onions, the sauteed, caramelized, brown onions. Okay. And moya as well. Yes. One of the great dishes. Okay. So, that goes into the you call it tagin. Yes. Oh, that’s going to sizzle and keep hot as we eat it. What is this one for? This is for the for the mala. For the mala. Okay. Garlic, coriander, and ghee is in there. Coriander seed powder goes in. Okay. Okay, now the the moa two. Okay. Three. Oh, yeah. Oh, that bubble. Oh, one of the great dishes in Egypt. One, two, three. Okay. Okay, that’s ready. Now our meats, our grills are finished. Ready. Oh, yes. The tab. Tar. Yes. That call fat. All right, Abanoob. Are you ready? I was born ready. Yes. Oh man, this is this place is legendary for their meat grills, barbecued meat, Egyptian style in Luxor. I wasn’t going to miss this in Luxor while we’re here. Abanub, I think we have to start with those the tarb. Tarb. Okay, I’m going to grab one of these almost like Yeah, they’re just they’ve turned into sausages. Can you grab a piece of the the tarb? Yeah. In that crispy bread. Oh. Oh, it’s so hot. It’s so Oh, it just squirted with juices. Oh, on the inside is the meat. The minced meat. And is it It’s lamb. All right. It’s lamb. Yeah. Okay. One more step. Dip it in the tahini. All right. Okay. We’re ready. Oh, wow. Yeah. Mhm. That is just a juicy burst. Mhm. Oh, that’s unbelievable. It is so fatty. It’s so juicy. That call fat just like holds in the juices of the minced meat. It is unbelievable flavor. It’s hydrating it. Yes. Okay. Next up, let’s go for the chops. Just pick up the bone. Yeah. From the bone. Okay. Dip it in the tahini. Oh, the lamb chop in the tahini. Oh, the tahini. Mhm. Really good. Yeah. The freshness of the meat, that marinade, the smokiness, the crispy fat. Yeah. Crispy fries. Never smoked. Yeah. Yeah, it is. That’s delicious. Yeah. Okay. So, supposed to be eaten with rice, but we’ll go with the crispy bread. All the caramelized onions. And the whole meat is just like falling apart. Tender in the caramelized onions. Look at that. Staying so boiling hot, too, with the in that tagin. It’s like just the entire dish is just onions that have been just melted, sweated down until the sweetness comes out. And this one is just like meaty and oniony, but not a lot of like salt or spices in there. Just straight up onions to feel the taste of the meat. You do? Yeah. Like this. We call it cat’s ear. Okay. To be able to scoop it up. Yeah. Then you mix it. Uh-huh. Go like this. Then like this. Then you get a scoop and just eat it. So it has to be sticky. Yeah. Has to be sticky. Has this incredible green flavor plus that accent, that aroma of the coriander seed. Oh, it’s delicious. And that texture just kind of like slides down your throat. Thank you, Shotran. Okay, good morning. Day 2 in Egypt and this morning it’s about 7:30. We’re on our way. We’re just loading up the van and we are on our way in route to Asan. uh further south. Hopefully get some food along the way as well. But that’s the plan for the day. And then by this evening, we’ll be in Aswan. And we’re starting today at the temple of Edfu. From what I was reading, this is one of the most preserved temples on the West Bank. And so we’re going to tour this temple now, which is built in honor of Horus, I believe. So every column is different and every column tells a story. to make a deal. Something also that’s very interesting to share with you is that construction started in 237 BC. So, it’s about 2,300 years old, but it took about 180 years to finish all the construction. Wow. Yeah, this hypo style hall is incredible. It’s not huge. Maybe there’s a few dozen columns, but it’s really well preserved and really spectacular. Oh, this part is really cool. Up the spiraling staircase again, the carvings on the wall all the way up. We’re back in the van and it’s about a 1h hour drive to get to Asan. I am hungry. And we’re heading straight to an unlikely spot to eat some amazing seafood. Oh, nice. Check out that fish. Yes. Shakran. Okay. Oh, all those shrimp go on. Oh, yes. Onto the the hot griddle. Okay. Oh, the fish gets a full dunking into the the sauce. Oh, this is the fried station in the back here. Okay. Okay. Oh, the fried fish station back here. Oh, this is for the fried fish. It takes a swim into the flour batter mixture. Oh, and directly into the oil. So many things going on at one time. I love the action and the energy here. And it seems there’s two different methods. One is the grill station where they marinate it with they cook it on the hot griddle grill and then they bake it. And then the other is the deep frying station back here in the kitchen. Gives that a washing. Gives that a slice. It’s non-stop action. Non-stop seafood here. Especially the the tilapia is the most famous. Oh, okay. Oh, the shrimp. Oh, man. Oh, it’s showered in the sauce. Smell like ginger, garlic. So, for that grilled fish, it’s one of their most famous recipes. They take the whole fish, then they just dunk it into that marinade, then it goes onto the hot griddle, and it just keeps roasting until all that sauce, all that just marinade caramelizes, crispifies like a coating onto the fish. Uh, but you smell the mustard in there, the turmeric, the ginger, garlic. They said there’s celery in their marinade recipe as well, their secret marinade recipe. Okay, so you come to the back here. There’s kind of a a tent area set up with tables all spread out. Oh. Oh, with sofa seating, too. Oh, this place is amazing for us. Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, Shakran. Hey, thank you. Oh, man. That kitchen is action-packed, full of energy. This is really good, man. Take some of the tahini. Yeah. Then you put it onto your rice, the sada rice. Grab some of the fish. Oh. Oh, it’s juicy. All that crust. Oh, nice. Okay, I’m going to grab that fish and then eat it together with the the rice and the tahini. Okay, that’s the combination right there. Oh, with that skin, with that caramelized caramelized skin. Very good. Yeah, that is so good. You do taste that marinade with that like that mustardy flavor. The ginger, the garlic in there kind of has a coriander flavor as well and then with that tahini making it extra rich. These are the fresh shrimp which you sauteed down on the hot griddle. And again, it was just totally lthered. Ltheathered in that sauce and then just caramelized in the juices. But then what you have to do is dip it back in that sauce. Oh, man. Cuz you don’t want to miss out on all those onions and all those stir-fried peppers and all that sauce. Suck out the head. M. Oh, you dip in the tahini, too. Yeah. Everything in tahini. Everything in tahini. Oh, this one you can taste the lemon, the lemon, the coriander, the onion, the cumin. Yeah. So good. Like a stir fry of shrimp. Okay, the next one we got is fried catfish. A kind of catfish. A type of catfish. Okay. It’s called freshwater fish. Okay, I’ll eat this with bread. Nice. Oh, you can see how buttery, how flaky that is. Okay. Okay. And for this one, I think I’ll go in for the hot sauce. Oh, what a combination. Oh, man. That fish is so buttery. It just like melts in your mouth. Yeah. So oily, flaky. Mhm. Then with that chili sauce, that takes it to the next level. the flavor, a little bit of heat, a nice acidity, delicious. But everything really good. Dip the shrimp into the tahini. Get some of that hot sauce. Every bite must include tahini and the hot sauce. That combination, a fantastic meal when you’re in Aswan. Oh, that was an amazing meal. From here, it’s just a short drive to the guest house. We made it to the guest house. Oh man, this place is beautiful along the Nile. And the Nile really opens up here in Aswan. Oh, it’s gorgeous. And we’re staying at the guest house which is right behind us which is called Wanas Cato. We got our room. This guest house is really nice. It’s basic but really nice. Uh really clean, spacious, and we got this incredible view. Look at the sunset right now. Right out of the window over the Nile and all the boats. Oh, it’s so beautiful. Oh, just absorbing this spectacular evening in Egypt. Oh, it’s so beautiful, so peaceful, so incredible to think that you’re in ancient Egypt along the Nile River. And so tonight for dinner in Asawan, we’re in the busy market area. A lot going on. And we’re on our way to go eat at one of the best barbecue Egyptian grilled meat restaurants in Aswan. So which restaurant are we at, guys? Mas Masri. Yeah. Best barbecue in Asan. They’re very authentic and very old. Especially tarp. Oh, yes. Tarb. Yes. Okay. We must eat tarp. Yes. Okay. Nice. Okay. Since 1958, specializing in Egyptian barbecue grills. Let’s see what barbecue we’re going to eat. Man, this restaurant is really cool on the inside. You can just feel the history. It has so much character. Legendary. Hello. 650 half chicken. Okay. Okay. We’re also getting the half chicken. The chicken is very famous here, too. Everyone said the chicken is good. Next up for the kfta. This is the the king of meat. The king of meat right here. The ta. This is the call fat. Okay. So, the lamb meat goes in. Oh, it’s wrapped in the caul fat. Yes. Oh, that’s going to seal in the juices. Oh, he plugs it. Yes. And then he puts those onto skewers. Oh, what a move. Oh, and diagonally, too, so they don’t slide off. Oh, man. Okay, that goes directly on. Oh man, you can see that call fat just immediately start to drip. This is good. Uh, change. Yes, very good. It’s going to keep that meat so juicy. Very hot. Yeah, very hot grill. Wow. This goes. Okay. Oh, bread goes on, too. Nice. Props to the chefs back here. That is a just an unbelievable amount of heat coming from that grill. And you can just hear all that meat just hissing. Oh man, that chicken is done. Incredibly juicy. Okay. And I think we’re just waiting on the call fat. The the ta done perfectly. So that fat is just still fatty and juicy and hasn’t melted away. Oh, it’s still hissing. Oh man. Oh wow. Okay. Shakran. Shakran. Okay. Shakran. Oh man. This is impressive. We’re sitting down for a full Egyptian aswan style barbecue meal with all the different side. And when you order barbecue in Egypt, it’s not just the barbecue meat, but there’s so many different side dishes that are included as well. That being said, we absolutely have to start with the tarb. All right, you guys go first. Oh, thank you. Go like this. Okay. Put it in here with some salad and then dip it in the tahini. Yeah, just enjoy. Yeah, this is our tradition in eating the tarb. Okay, so we got to go for the tarb. It’s like a meat spring roll. A fat spring roll. Oh, crispy. Oh. Oh, you feel the oiliness in your fingers. It’s just dripping. It’s dripping. Oh, with the minced meat on the inside, the like the the lamb on the inside. Okay, we’ll put that Oh, you can just feel. Look at how oily your fingers are. Okay, put that into the the bread. Give that a dip into the tahini. Oh, wow. Man, that is the juiciest minced meat you can possibly have. All that fat just melted and the caulif fat just holding in the juices and adding an extra layer of flavor. And the cauliflat also absorbed those oils and the juices and the fat, but also as it’s on that fire, that really scorching hot fire, it absorbs the smoke which just embeds into the entire meat roll. Oh man. Chicken in the baba ganoush. M. Oh, yeah. Chicken is amazing, too. Has this incredible smokiness. The marinade tastes like lemon, but then it’s absorbed all that smoke again with that extremely hot fire. Chicken is excellent. That was phenomenal. And then we’re ending the meal with some local aswan hibiscus, uh, which is famous from here, and they grow the best hibiscus here in Upper Egypt in especially in and around Asan. Oh wow. Oh, that is incredible. That is the perfect way to end a meal. You just feel the the fat just stripping from your taste buds and melting down into your stomach. That was an incredible way to end the day. Egyptian grills barbecue. And look at this view. We’re back at the guest house now. I’m going to get some rest and then tomorrow we have a full day exploring Asswan. Uh we’re going to eat a lot of local food, explore some Nubian food, and also do some sightseeing around Asan. So, you’re not going to want to miss it. But good night for now. See you tomorrow. Hey, good morning. Yeah, good morning. Chakran. Okay, so the fool is here in the back. Yes, sir. It’s good. Yes. Oh, here it’s slashing her. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. My god. The best. Oh, man. That smells good. Okay. He’s dishing up the fool right now. Yes. Wow. Okay. Okay. Flax seed oil. Traditional way with flax seed oil. Okay. And this one with the egg. All right. Flax seed oil goes on. Yes. Yes. Yes. My god. That’s good. Very good. Yes. Okay. And for this variation, it gets mashed up with the egg, the hard-boiled egg. And then add on the tahini. Oh, yes. Okay. Yes, my friend. Oh, one step further. Yes, the topping of tahini. Oh. Oh, very nice. Okay. Bread. Let’s try the eggs with fool first. This is a incredible proteinrich breakfast combination right here. Yeah. Very healthy. Yeah. Cheers. That is flavorful. You’ve got the creaminess of the fava beans and the extra layer of creaminess from the the egg, especially the yolk that’s been just been mashed up into the beans with the aroma of the flax seed oil, chili, salt in there. Oh, that’s outstanding. We’ll move in for the falafel. I’m especially excited to try those stuffed. I think these ones are the stuff. You can see those tomatoes on the inside. Okay, let’s just break one open. Actually, break one open. Oh, and just so vibrantly green. Stuffed with tomatoes, onions on the inside, some chili sauce. Here, man. You want to have half of this? You put the falafel into bread. kind of give it a little smush down. Then dip in the tahini. Oh, this this tahini is thicker. It’s like a dipping tahini. It sticks more. Crunchy. What a combination. Yes, they fry it fresh for you. Crispy on the outside and then kind of like fluffy and crumbly on the inside. just with that aroma of the parsley and then that like these ones being stuffed have that hint of tomato onion in the inside and chili sauce that is breakfast happiness. Amazing way to start your day. The Egyptian breakfast of champions and also like protein pack high energy food. Next up on this Aswan tour today, we’re going to visit the temple of Filet. So, here we go. Off on a boat. The only way to get to the temple of file is by boat. All right to me just okay very important in the in Egypt is the part the last part of one was a very important temple we call ph it is meaning the word by the feronic or the language it is meaning the meeting of lover because this meet his love and she collect her body in this island have a very important is the god of of love of love Yeah, definitely. As soon as you arrive here, you can see why this temple is so famous, so beautiful on an island surrounded by the Nile, the lake, and then the temple itself is just spectacular. And right behind me, this is the the face, the towers of the temple representing Pharaoh’s offering, making offerings to gods. But it really is spectacular. This is the god of the Nile. And you can see from the big belly cuz it’s full of water representing the Nile. And the Nile was the giver of life. That was absolutely breathtaking and relatively new by ancient Egyptian standards. Just a few thousand years old. Uh somewhere you have to visit when you’re in Aswan. And we got to move. We got to jump back on the boat because we have a very important lunch which is coming up for you right now. Oh, this is just spectacular. Actually, on my last trip to Egypt, I think it was 15 years ago, we did a 3-day trip on a Faluca traditional sailboat down the Nile from Luxar to Awan. And I just remember these views and just these peaceful backwaters. Okay, I think we’ve just arrived. This is the spot. We made it. Welcome. This place is called Fisherman’s Island. And there’s a man who goes fishing. Hello. Hello. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Uh who fishes. He cooks the fresh catch over fire. uh cooks it right here on spot and then you eat at such a chill spot on a rock. Okay, here we go. Oh, nice. Oh, wow. Here’s all the live fish. These are all the fish you caught. Fish. Okay. Fish. Yes. Oh, this one. Okay. Yes. Baldi. Oh, this one is tilapia. Tilapia. Okay. Oh, so he’s going to cook this one. Oh, nice. He says he prepares everything the traditional Nubian way as they’ve done for hundreds thousands of years in this region of the Nile. Uh and the Nubians are people we’ll learn more about the Nubian people, but they’re an ethnic people group indigenous to this area to southern Egypt as well as northern Sudan. Pharaohs dined on this same fish we’re about to eat. Oh, that’s amazing to think about. They found tombs with remnants of this fish. I think it is a Nile perch. This one will be grill. Grill also. Oh, what a kitchen. Okay, so salt goes onto our fish or the Nile perch. Oh, and directly into the hot oil. Oh, it’s going to be fried first. Oh, yeah. Mr. Mis knows exactly what he’s doing. He works fast. Oh, what a spot. This place is incredible. So, some of the fresh tilapia. Okay. Only get a dusting, a coating in that. And then directly onto the fire grill. So, I think that’s a wheat brand dusting before it goes onto the grill. Thank you. So, we’re sitting down. He has a whole seating area with cushions overlooking the Nile on the top of the rock. Um, got to start with that uh Nile perch. Oh, man. You can see how oily and how buttery it is. M. Oh man, it’s so meaty. It’s so crispy. Very fresh. Oh man. And the texture is incredible. It’s really firm. Such a meaty fish as well. Add some of the tahini to the rice and add on that fish. Add on some of the tomato sauce. M. Well, that combination is incredible. Oh, the crispy fish, the rice, the creamy tahini, and the Yeah, the tomatoes, the onions, the tomato juice really enhances it. Okay, I’m going to try the grilled tilapia now. You can kind of peel back. Oh, man. You can feel the butteriness, the butteriness, the flakiness of the tilapia. Oh man, you really taste the freshness of it. That’s for sure, without a doubt. And you said that right here is the best tilapia in all of Egypt. Really neutral, really clean tasting. Barbecues it over the fire, giving it embedding it with that smoke, that flavor. Delicious. Thank you, Shakran. Shakan. Shakan. Shakran. Shakan. Yes. Thank you very much. Okay. Fisherman Island. Fisherman Island. Shakran. Mr. Masari. Fisherman Island in the Nile. That was a very cool experience. That Nile perch was incredible. And his tilapia is also the freshest. Back on the boat. So, very close to where we were at the fisherman island. We’re just going to quickly stop at the Nubian Village. And it’s known for its unique architecture, music, art, and also colorful architecture and colorful designs. So, a nice and quick visit to the Nubian village. And actually, we’re going to head out to the guest house where we’re staying at, which is owned by a Nubian family, uh, which is just outside of this village. And they’re going to cook for us a traditional Nubian meal. So, we’re on our way back next. Okay, so Antie is getting started with some Nubian bread. Immediately puts it onto the hot griddle. Oh, and that sizzle. Oh, it has a really nice aroma to it. A little bit of a sweet and sour aroma to it as well. Okay, so she flips it over and then almost immediately It’s ready. Okay. So, we’re moving it into the kitchen now. So, we’ve got chicken. Oh, and the tagin. Tagin. Tajin. Oh, and the spice mixture goes on. Is it sauce? Tomato. Tomato. Tomato. Okay. The green peppers go in. Oh, and that spice mixture. You can smell the coriander seeds. There’s also cumin and maybe some turmeric in there as well. Okay. Oh, the coriander. A little more of the coriander seed. That coriander seed is so aromatic. Little bit of oil. Okay. So now let’s follow her to the oven for the tajine. So we’ve come to the outdoor oven here. And the tajine is going into the the outdoor oven. Nice. So that tajine is going to bake in the oven with all those spices maybe for about 30 minutes, I think, until all those flavors come together. Oh man, Auntie is hilarious. and so friendly. Uh, but that needs to the chicken needs to bake for about 30 minutes. So, we’re going to wait for about 30 minutes and then she’s going to finish all the dishes with the mala and everything. Okay, so that’s for the chicken tajine. And next, she’s going to move over to the stove and make the Nubian style ma. And maya is made with uh the juke leaves, but this is they’re going to make it a different way. Oh man, the aroma’s coming out already. Okay. Oh, okra. Nice. Back to the mala. And we’re going to She’s going to be using dry the dry mala. Oh, that goes into that tomato sauce. So, the tomato sauce infused with garlic. Oh, and she’s doing the the twist. Now it’s the okra. Oh, so she’s making like there was beef broth in there. Now with okra, and now she’s whipping it up like a okra sauce. Next step, she’s heating up some ghee and garlic. Once that kind of caramelizes the garlic, then it’s going to go into the okra. Pour it over the okra. Oh, that’s going to bring out the flavor. And it gets another hand blend. Nice. Okay. Alas. Alas. That’s ready. Shakran. Bye-bye. Shakran. Okay, so we’re sitting down now for an amazing home-cooked Nubian meal. Definitely some different dishes which I’m very excited to try. M jakut jakut m really tastes good. Wow, that’s incredible. Yeah, it’s the jute leaves and here they’re dried that like makes it stronger, intensifies the flavor. And this is the unique bread that auntie made. Auntie specifically said we need to eat the okra with this truth. Oh, you immediately taste the flavor of that fried garlic that she added that she sauteed down until crispy. You can taste everything. Yeah, it’s amazing. Okay, I’m going to try the chicken. A whole piece of chicken here. Oh, the chicken is so tender with the rice. Mix it with the rice. M. Oh, that chicken is incredible. You really taste the citrusy kick of that coriander seed powder. That makes the difference. Okay, next I’m going to mix some of that some of the jute and then add a piece of the the chicken which is the classic bite all together. What a combination, man. I love that. And it is really good with the tomato paste, the way they make it. And everything has a really nice garlicky flavor as well. That was an incredible meal. Uh the hospitality, Nubian food, the flavors were amazing. And a huge shout out to Wanasato, the guest house where we’re staying. Great place to stay and amazing food. We drove straight over to the pyramids. Uh it’s a bit hectic here, especially with the security and the entire area. So going to put away the camera and I will see you on the inside the pyramids. Oh, we made it to the pyramids of Giza. Perhaps arguably the most iconic, the most monumental historical sites on Earth, dating back 4,500 years ago. Just mindblowing history. It just doesn’t get old to see the pyramids. I was here one other time about 15 years ago, but the majestic sight of the pyramids is just unbelievable. pyramids were tombs of the pharaohs and they to this day they remain mysterious about how they were built. There’s many theories but nothing is totally proved and again when you see the size and scale of each stone it’s just unbelievable how they were able to construct something of the size of the weight. So you often see the pyramids from far and see the overview of them. Then when you’re here in person at the base of the pyramids, it is absolutely again mind-blowing, breathtaking. Something that always amazes me is just the scale on how big the stones are. Some of them weighing up to, I think, 15 tons. And the pyramids were built of 2.3 million rocks. And they’re just massive. You feel tiny when you’re at the base of the pyramids. It’s magical, majestic, beyond words. A place you absolutely have to visit. We’re at Kesa and they’re famous here for eating camel for breakfast, especially camel liver. And they cook it in a unique way, right? Yeah. Very unique way. You will see. Okay. What’s up, man? Oh, man. This place is unbelievable. The fresh meat. You’re just surrounded by fresh meat. It’s very nice. What’s up, man? to get that. Yes. But there Oh, the camels, the freshness of the meat. Uh, but how it works is it’s a fresh butcher here at the front. So, people come to get meat, fresh meat in the morning. Uh, both camel and mutton. Oh, he wants to show us slicing. Okay. Oh, that’s a that’s a sheep right there. Wow. Everything intact. That is as natural as you get right there. Okay. They do have sheep, but they’re most famous for their camel here. And this is just a butcher. So, you can come here, you can buy your meat, and they just take a piece, whatever you want. They chop it up ninja style, but then they have a restaurant in the back. So, we’re going to head to the back now. We’re going to see the whole process, but let’s go order. And let’s see our meat, the meat selection that we order. Man, you have to navigate your way through the camels. Oh, so these are all the organs of the camel from the heart to the lungs to the liver. Oh, that’s the fresh camel heart. Oh, man. You can see how fresh that is. It’s glistening. Oh, we’re getting the heart, too. A portion of everything. A mix of everything. They take everything, they weigh it out according to how much weight you got. Then they slice it up into bite-sized pieces, slicing it thin with a razor sharp knife. And then you’ve got your whole selection of all the camel. Now, that goes to your table, which is a custom table with kind of a doughut shaped hole in the pan griddle on your table. and we’re gonna see how they cook it in a very unique way. These are the special pans specifically made for this camel dish, this camel stir fry. Oh, he’s getting started right now. Oh, all the fat goes in, ignited on fire. First meat in there, that’s the camel hump. And all that fat melts the grease and oil of the camel. And that’s one of the most flavorful parts of the camel as well. Okay, next I think that’s the meat goes in. Meat and spine. Okay. Okay. Green chilies go in. All of it. Sure. The heart goes on next. Okay. So, everything is strategically added at the right time because everything takes a different amount of time to cook properly. I’m going to take a seat here. Oh man. And it’s just the perfect atmosphere, the perfect cooking dish utensil. As you sit, it’s a tabletop cooking method. Well, it’s cooked and then you eat right off the table. You can enjoy the entire show. All the cooking process. Your mouth will just start to water with that freshness, that meaty aroma coming off that camel. This is a straight up camel steam room. Oh, I think this might be cooked. Might be ready. Oh man, that smells good. Okay, we’ll see. But it’s the process is not over yet. Oh, we’re getting kfta as well. Okay. And the kafa is lamb. It’s not actually camel. Oh, and the sujuk. Yes. What is the sujuk made from? Is it is it lamb as well? The sujuk. Oh, it’s camel sujuk. Nice. So, the kfta and the sujuk, those are going to steam kind of boil in the in the broth and the juices in the fat of that camel. Oh, he opened up that lid. That steam from the cough and the sujuk is incredible. I’m bathing bathing in meat steam. Okay. And finally, the liver. Oh, that’s one of the prizes of the camel as well. One of the favorite parts, the liver for breakfast. Oh, that’s good. Screw it off to the side. And tomatoes go in. Okay. Salt goes in. A secret blend of spices. Oh, smells like cumin. Smells like kind of cinnamon as well. Okay. Oh, he scoots all that meat back in. All the bread goes into the center. It’s absorbing all that flavor. Oh, that’s going to be incredible. Tasty. Shakran off. Ready. Okay, cool. So bread just been just steaming on the side of the pan. First bite has to be liver. I think that’s liver right there. Those thin He sliced it really thin. Liver to cook quickly. Oh man. And you want to get some of those peppers, some of those tomatoes and that juice. Oh. Oh man. Yeah, you absolutely taste the freshness of that liver. It actually has a almost like a crunch to it. It’s so fresh. And then with those spices, maybe a little bit of cumin, maybe some coriander seed in there as well. The green chilies, the tomatoes which have just been pureeed into a sauce. And that camel fat melted down into that sauce. That’s incredible. Let’s move on to the next the next chunk here. Going. I think this is meat. meat or kid. Oh, that I think that’s kidney right there. Okay. And for this bite, I definitely need to dip it in the tahini. So, abanuba, is almost every meat dipped in tahini? Yeah. Yes. We drink like tea. Tahini is omniresent, especially with all kinds of meat. I think that was kidney that I got. Has a totally different taste. A bit of a chewier texture to it. Or maybe heart. I’m not sure. Yeah, I’m going to try the sujuk now. Yeah, I’m going to grab that sujuk. And then what you have to do though is definitely just go to the bottom of that to scoop up all the all the fatty, oily, camel juice, peppers, and tomatoes. Oh wow, the sujuk is incredible. Oh man, the camel sausage of your dreams right there. I’m going to try the kafta now. The lamb meatballs. Oh man, you want to dig deep. All right, the kafta. Okay, that kofa is excellent too, but following eating that after the the camel sujuk. Yeah, camel sujuk takes a is the top level. This is such an experience, such an incredible way. It’s a definitely a breakfast camel celebration in Egypt. Thank you. And it’s an honor to meet the owner, Elk Muhammad. She Muhammad Shakran. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Shukran. Shakran. Thank you. Shakran. And now this evening, we’re at a place that’s extremely popular. They’re very famous for a dish which is called hawshi. One of my favorite Egyptian dishes. And this place is buzzing. You can just smell the sweet meat aroma, the onions filling the air. So, this place is called the Hawia Rabia. We’re going to take a full tour, see what’s going on. There’s so much action, so many things happening. They have their own butchery. Everything is fresh. Sliced on spot for the hawi. This is only one side of the restaurant. Come to the other side. Okay. And now we’re at the Hawi station. Okay. So, halashi is a flatbread which is stuffed with a combination of meat and onions, maybe some spices. So, the process is they take 10 minutes on the low heat that’s kind of just like toasting them. Then they transfer over to the hotter griddle and they cook for another 10 minutes to really crispify them up uh to brown that bread. All the juggling, the hawshi juggling. And here they take it to an extreme sport. It’s not just hawosi. They’re like acrobats. They’re performers. They do an inter a whole entertaining performance of hawashi. This one is with a mozzarella. Okay. And that’s going to melt. Oh man, it’s a mountain of sujuk. Okay. Okay. So, he takes a spatula full, a triel full, and it goes directly in. Oh, he just shovels it into the inside. Oh, this is with the melted cheese. Yes. Oh. Oh, the stretchiness. The strings of cheese melted into the meat and the crispy bread. Oh, with souk also. Oh, it doesn’t end there. The sujuku goes into the meat side. Okay. The chefs here are absolute magicians of Hawi. They’re like, it really is a sport. Like frisbes, tossing frisbees in the air. Uh just their flipping skills are insane. Okay, so we’re sitting down and the hawshi is here. Okay, but before we start eating, they’re famous for the ma. laur no Hey, hey, hey. Okay, wow. By the time you’re done done eating here, you might know the Arabia song, but yeah, they make you feel at home here with the performance, with the show. Everything is a a theatrical theatrical performance with food. Okay, let’s dig into the hawashi. I think I’ll start with the minced meat with the sujuk on the inside. Oh man. Oh, that’s fully loaded. All the meat is cooked nestled inside of the bread with the sujuk. Oh. Oh, wow. That meat is unbelievable. The sweetness of the onions, the acidity in there. I don’t know if there’s like a little bit of parsley or tomato in there making it a little bit acidic. Maybe that’s in the souk. But the meat is fatty. It’s juicy. Just melts into that bread. And that bread has this incredible kind of like chewy texture because it’s been cooked for so long on the slow heat on the slow burner. So that it kind of cooks and bakes and crispifies all at the same time. This hawashi is unbelievable. Next version of hawashi. This one is cut pizza style into corners. Oh, with the melted mozzarella with the minced beef on the inside. Oh, I’m going to add some of these green chilies to it this time. That’s incredible, too. I mean, the meat on the inside has almost turned to like a patty. It’s been molded into the center of the bread with that stretchy mozzarella cheese. Oh, man. I really like it with those green chilies cut up in there as well. That crunch, that spice, incredibly tasty. But again, this restaurant is dedicated to Hawshi, and that’s what they do best. You are guaranteed an unbelievable theatrical performance when you eat there. Next up on this Egyptian food tour tonight, we are eating at a restaurant which is called Bibbo, and they are legendary for serving the king of the tagins, cooked in the earthnware bowl. Okay, so we’re jumping right into the tagins, which is one of the main attractions here at the restaurant. Oh man. Wow. Okay. Amazing. So, right at the front of the restaurant is where you’ll find the oven, which is one of the main things that you come here to eat. and the tagin, which is the Egyptian version of a ceramic clay pot filled with a variety of ingredients, especially onions, some spices, and especially a variety of meats, which are then cooked in the raging hot oven and boiled and everything melts together. The aromomas, you smell the sweetness of the onions in the air, the coriander seeds, and definitely the meaty aroma. Everything from sheep to cow and the way it just boils in its own juices. It just melts the fat. All the contents of that tagin are guaranteed to be ultra tender and melt in your mouth. This one is the bibu. Yeah. The signature. Signature. Okay. The bibbo. From the tagin station, we’re moving now over to the other side of the kitchen. This is the fried meat station. And they put on another show. Wa. Oh, he grabbed a handful of meat. Oh, just sliced meat, sprinkles it in, and that’s melted. That’s the sheep fat. Sheep fat. Wow. It goes up in a flame. Oh, man. This place is just unbelievable. It’s just a jacuzzi. That’s not oil. That’s melted sheep fat that he fries that meat in. It’s just boiling like a geyser, igniting on fire. Oh, the oil spray. Melted sheep fat. Oh, it’s just spraying all over the place. Fried. Oh. Oh, man. That’s insane. Oh. Oh, more melted fat goes on. Oh, back in. Oh, with a smile on his face. Melted sheep fat. Wow. Thank. Okay. Oh. Oh. Oh wow. Oh man, that sliced meat. You got to be joking with me. That is I just want that piece of meat to to linger on my tongue forever. I want to tuck it away in my mouth so that flavor just keeps on giving. Oh, it’s feed in that sheep fat which just gives it a unbearable amount of flavor. Wa! Oh man, I think he singed the hairs. If I wasn’t wearing a jacket, he would have definitely singed my hairs. This place is absolute food craziness. Bibbo, what a spot. The action and energy, the performance again, the friendliness of everyone. Here it comes. Oh, still boiling hot. Straight from the oven to your table. It’s oven to table cuisine. Oh, yeah. This is the one. Okay. Got to start with this. I’m going to do a a lift up. See what’s under that caramelized crust. Oh. Oh. Oh. The the poof of steam. The onion. Oh, that’s like solid onions and meat and tomatoes. Oh, that smells so good. It’s like onion layers upon layers with spices caramelized on the top. Tomatoes. It’s juicy. Beef is folded in. Okay, I’ll take some of the rice. And the method here is to take the rice, mix it with those caramelized onions, rice with the onions, and the beef. Look at the beef. That’s just a big chunk of beef. That’s just ultra spoon tender. No knives needed. I got to chase try those onions with the rice. Oh wow. Oh man, those onions are insane. They have this almost acidic pickley flavor to them, but then melted down. The sweetness is protruding and they just melt and dissolve on your tongue. Okay, next up, I’m going to grab some of the mala. And again, he boiled the ghee with garlic, studded with coriander seeds, and then pours it into the mala. One of the great dishes of Egyptian cuisine into the rice. Oh, in fact, I’ll add some more of that onion juice and onion sauce. Oh, and the onion juice at the bottom there. Mix it in with the rice, the mala. Oh, I’m beginning to to see how I could be totally addicted to mila. And want to eat it with every single meal. The jute leaves, they have this addictive bitterness to it. I know why Egyptians love ma so much. It’s just this flavor that can’t be replicated. Not only flavor, but texture. Okay, next up, I’m going to try another tagin they’re extremely famous for. Wait till I Let’s see what is under this crust of caramelized goodies. Oh, all the meat is falling off. Falling off. This is oxtail. That’s one of the most beautiful things about eating a tagin is taking like it has this seal on the top as it’s baked and then you poke your spoon in and you dig out the first bite and it just erupts with steam and that aroma and that just makes your mouth instantly water. Okay, I think we should just take a bite out of this. Oh wow. Yeah, that’s hot. Okay, I might need to spoon it. Spoon it into my mouth before it all just collapses in tenderness. Oh, that’s hot. Oh, man. The onions, the pepper, the tomato in there. Let me get another bite of that meat. Oh wow. The kale meat, the oxtail just slides off the bone. Almost like a bay leaf kind of flavor aroma to it as well. The spices are not overpowering, but they’re kind of mellow and they just like totally compliment those onions and the meat, but don’t overpower the flavor of the meat. Wow, that’s extraordinary. Both of them, both the beef and the onions and the oxtail. Outstanding. And the moa. And on that bite, it would be appropriate to drink some more of the vegetable juice. A little spicy kick. The salty, sour, cucumbery, parsley, a little bit of red cabbage in here as well. This restaurant right here is worth visiting Cairo just to eat. It will just blow the taste buds off your tongue. Hey, hey, what a day, man. In Cairo. Thank you. Told you Ko is the best at street food. Oh, man. Yes. Food at all. Yeah. Amazing. Amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for coming. Thank you, Aan. Thank you. We have a huge day of Egyptian food ahead of us. You’re not going to want to miss any of it. And we’re at the first place. Oh, people are already enjoying the morning. This place is called Wahid and it is extremely popular. The breakfast rush is intense. Good morning, Abanoo. Good morning, Mark. Yes, we have a lot of food coming up today, man. Yeah, lots of food. Are you ready for breakfast? Yeah, let’s go. We’re jumping straight into the breakfast action in Cairo. Egyptian breakfast and along with some of the other breakfast traditional breakfast staples of Egyptian cuisine. One of the things that they’re famous for is something called shrimp fries which they invented the recipe. Okay. So, it all starts with potatoes go in. Now, this yellow sauce. Oh, that’s yellow orange. It gets hand mixed and that goes directly into the hot oil. Oh man, they just fry for like a minute and they’re ready. Now moving to the other side of the cart here where they’re making the fool. This is one of the main attractions. Egyptian fool. Fava beans. Yes. Oh, the tahini goes on. Cumin, salt, chili sauce goes in. Oil. Oh, man. Even some olives and onions. Oh. Oh, man. And now it gets the full full stir. Very nice. It’s good. It’s good. Delicious. For full. Very good. Very, very nice. Egyptian. Yes. Whiskey. Whiskey. Hello. Whiskey. This is a an overwhelming and almost intimidating breakfast. It does not get better than this in the morning. I got to start with those those shrimp fries which are hot out of the oil. And they’re called shrimp fries. There’s no shrimp in them. And they don’t taste like shrimp. You know why they they must be called shrimp fries? Because they kind of look like shrimp when they’re fried. Oh, but that’s tasty. Oh, it’s salty. It’s like you’ve got the creamy potato on the inside and the starchy like crispy batter on the outside. But let’s start with the original fool. Yeah. All right. Okay. So, they have a bunch of varieties of fool. But this one is the original with flax seed oil with tahini and hot pepper paste and then some He also sprinkles it with cumin and also tahini in there. Tahinina in there as well. And then the oil. Yeah, the oil on top is flax seed oil. Oh, that’s a big scoop. Oh wow, that is unbelievable. The creaminess of the fool, the fava beans mixed with that tahina to make it even richer and the flavor, the aroma of the flax seed oil. I love fava beans. I love fool. I love Egyptian fool. I love the different combinations. Okay, next up. This is the Alexandrian style uh fool, but nothing to do with Alexandria. Nothing. Okay. And this one is the like deluxe version with onions, with peppers in here, with lots of olives, lots of tahina, the crunch of the green peppers, the onions, the f is so foamy, so creamy. Such an incredible combination. So warm and comforting in the morning. And at this point in the breakfast, I think it’s an appropriate time to try the beverage, which is often called in Egypt halal whiskey. But it’s not whiskey at all. It’s uh the salad water, I think, with cucumbers, maybe with cabbage, almost like a vegetable juice uh but then infused with chili. They leave some uh parsley and some cucumbers and some cabbage floating around in it. And you can drink it. Oh man. Oh wow. It has a cucumber spice to it. It’s salty. You get that like vegetable freshness. It’s really refreshing. Really totally changes up the the pallet, the flavors in your mouth. And if you have something if you eat something greasy, it just totally like strips that oil of your mouth. There’s a bunch of eggplant dishes on the table. I think there’s a pickled eggplant. There’s a just a fried eggplant. This one is fried eggplant with chili pepper paste. Squeeze this on. Little lime. Oh, it’s a bit hard. Okay, I think we’re good. Let’s grab a piece of this. dig deep. So, you’ve got all the juices, all that pepper paste, all the Oh, there’s some uh dill and coriander on here, too. Along with fool. I love all the variations and cooking methods of eggplant in Egypt. I mean, most of them are either pickled or fried, but they know how to use eggplant, cook eggplant, so it’s absolutely creamy, absorbs whatever flavor that’s put onto it, and just the texture, flavor combination is incredible. The place is incredibly busy and friendly and delicious. It’s a full body experience for breakfast. Shakran, thank you. Oh man, that was an incredible breakfast. It’s getting even more hectic, more busy since we arrived. Oh, you got to be careful cars. Next up on this Egyptian food tour today, we’re going to what is probably one of the most legendary famous restaurants in all of Cairo. Welcome to Koshari Abu Tareek. This place is historical. It’s legendary. It’s iconic. It’s a staple of Egyptian food. And this place is extremely popular. You step inside of here, just the mountains of pasta and rice and crispy onions. What you immediately smell upon walking in here are the is the aroma of the crispy fried onions. And we’re going to watch the entire process as they make and assemble what is one of Egypt’s national dishes. Koshari. And they put on a show for you. Welcome to Mutar. Thank you. Abu Tar. Abutar is the best. Yes. The best. Always. Oh, the dump. They’re filling up the the giant basins right as we’re entering. Everything gets airborne. Oh, lentils flying in the air. Rice with vermicelli, which he goes in the bowl first. Then goes in uh a variety of pasta and some noodles. Then he airbornes some uh Egyptian lentils go in. Then crispy shallots, then tomato sauce, and then chickpeas. Oh man, they’re actually accurate with those tossing skills. Directly into your bowl. Tomato sauce goes in. More crispy onions. Oh, the flick of the spoon. Oh, everything goes up in the air with the trick juggling your koshari. Okay. Chickpeas. Chickpeas splattered on top. Yeah. Three, two, one. Action. This kosher rice, pasta, lentils, outside this fried onion, chick bean, tomato sauce. Okay. Lemon and salt. Okay. Garlic. Lemon. Tomato sauce. Yes. Pepper. Lemon juice. That’s garlic. Oh, garlic. Okay. And lemon. Vinegar and lemon. Yeah. Thank you. And this is also spicy. You like spicy? Yeah, spicy. Sure. Medium, not too much. Very spicy. Very spicy. Wow. Sure. Yum. Yum. Yum. Lemon fresh and mix sauce here and mix together. Okay. Every day cooking dish. We specialize. We accept. We grind. And we succeeded. It’s a fried onion. Fried onions. Oh, the crispy fried onions. Chickpeas. The best. Enjoy. Thank you very much. Thank you. Okay. So, you got to mix it around a little bit with the pasta, with the rice, with the noodles, with the tomato sauce. Oh, the tomato sauce is what immediately hits your taste buds. The sour acidity of the tomato sauce. You’ve got the crunch, the aroma of the crispy onions, and you get all those starches, the carbohydrates, the starchiness of the lentils, the silky softness of the pasta and the noodles, and then you feel every grain of rice. Oh, yeah. It’s totally vegetarian or even vegan, actually. plant powered with all the different carbohydrates. Uh, which makes it a dish that’s definitely hearty, definitely filling and fulfilling, satisfying. Just one minute and will without a doubt provide you with energy for hours and hours. Give me one. Okay. Yeah. Three, two, one. Give me one. Wow. Oh, everything is a trick here. This Abu Tareak, it’s an absolute institution. Egyptian institution. Started off as a street food on a cart, selling from a cart. And now it’s a Egyptian culinary Cairo institution. Five floors of Koshari. Okay, we have a lot more to continue eating and we’re on our way to Old Cairo. Oh man, welcome to old Cairo. There’s so many things going on. Cairo is the biggest city in the Middle East, the biggest city in Africa, of course, home to Giza, which is the home of the pyramids, home to ancient Egyptians for the last 4,000 5,000 years. Uh, and it’s been one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on Earth. And so we just arrived to the restaurant which is called Farahhat. They have the full assortment of Egyptian grills. Uh but what you really come here to eat are the stuffed pigeons. The stuffed pigeons are here. This is an Egyptian delicacy stuffed with rice. Uh so Abanoo, what is the the best way to eat a stuffed pigeon like this? There are two ways. You can either either just like this and you can bite it. Okay. Oh, nice. Just bite it or you can break it and eat it like a boat. Oh, given the choice, that’s a no-brainer. And look at this thing. It’s a the whole pigeon is stuffed. And I love the the neck is like elongated into a a sausagey formation. Cheers. Cheers. Can I get that? The skin is so delicate and thin. Paper thin. It’s not a little crispy, too. It is. Yeah. Yeah, it is. It’s crispy. And then the rice inside is just kind of like melted with the oily juices of the pigeon itself with some spices in there. More of like the like maybe pepper. A lot lots of pepper. Lots of pepper. And fried onions. M. Okay. That’s definitely what you taste. And almost like a a hint of a nutmeg. Yes. Nutmeg. Yeah, that’s what it is. Nutmeg. Yeah. Nice. Okay. So, it has this incredible like fragrance of nutmeg, but not overpowering. That is really tasty. All that rice held together by the skin of the bird. For my next bite, let’s dip in the tahini. Tahina. Oh no, lost some of the rice. Oh, I can hold it by the wings. Yeah. Okay. And finally now getting down to the meat section where you can start tearing off the wing, the bone, and enjoying the the meat of the pigeon. Oh, here we go. Oh, yeah. You can see the meat underneath it. Yes. Man, pigeon is a wonderful meat. It’s lean. It’s really tender. It’s just good flavor. Even though there’s not that much of it, it is very flavorful. And then another thing uh that you can commonly eat with uh pigeons like this is pickles. I’ll grab the cauliflower. Oh man, that’s juicy and briny, salty, a little bit sour. Again, I’ve mentioned so many times why I love the pickles in Egypt. You need it with the the rich food, the meaty dishes, and then you eat a pickle and that just like strips your mouth of all the the grease and just cleanses your pallet so you can go in for another bite. Sausage, rice. It’s a complete meal all in one bird package. Very tasty. Egyptian stuffed pigeon. Oh, we are happy after eating the pigeon. And we’re walking through Gorea. This is a market in Cairo. Another just bustling market. Just nonstop flow of people, energy, and everything moving. And we’re on our way to the next place. Oh, can we go down this passageway? It is amazing. So, it’s tucked somewhere within this market. So, tucked within these incredibly narrow lanes, just shoe stores everywhere, is where we’re going. And this is the spot right here. Oh. You can smell the lamb all the way down this alley. Getting here is quite a mission. You sometimes need to squeeze for your life, but I know this lamb is going to be worth it. Oh, that aroma is incredible. Hello, Chakran. Chakran. Oh, what a spot. Oh. Oh, it’s fall apart tender. Oh, he juggles the lamb. Oh, the juice, melted fat. Okay, so this restaurant is known for its brazed lamb. And so that lamb has been brazing in its own fat, confinging in its own juices and fat until tender, re-mbedding itself with its own flavor. This is just the ending process here because the lamb is cooked underground in an underground oven. And I think they uh catch all the juices that come out of the lamb as it’s baking. And then they put it into these pans to slowly uh keep on boiling and simmering and let that oil and juice just reabsorb re-mbbed itself into the lamb. And then that’s the dish they serve here. Everyone comes here for it. All the bone slides out. All the tenderness all baked. Baked in a clay oven, then boiled in its fat. Oh, that aroma is just unbelievable coming off of that meat. And he’s going to carve up our plate right now with all the different parts with the fat. Wow. Oh, that’s a sug. Yes. And the sausages are on the bottom there. Wow. Okay. So, go in with bread. I’m going to go in for that that meat first. You can see the way that’s just going to melt in your mouth. Oh man. Wow. It’s unbelievably tender. It just dissolves, melts the meat, the fat. It’s just coating every taste bud in your mouth. Can’t wait to try the sug. The Egyptian sausage. Wrap it all up into the bread. Oh, it’s the the tug is with the lamb organs. Oh, nice. Okay. Okay. So, a little bit of rice. The lamb organs are in the sug Oh, just it just crumbles. It’s really soft and tender. I think because it’s been boiled at the bottom of the jacuzzi, it’s gotten so tender, it’s just filled with the the oils of the lamb. That’s just a a burst of juiciness in your mouth. Okay. Then we then we’ve got the slices of the liver as well. It’s sweet. Definitely the meat though. The liver maybe it’s good. But yeah, the meat and the suk I think is the what you want to be ordering here and then again almost every meal the salad water. Oh, this one is extra chunky. Lots of tomatoes in there. I think there might even be like some broccoli. That’s what you need for the digestion of lamb boiled in itself. Shakran shakran. Okay. Llama. Okay. Shakran. Shakran. Okay. Shakran. Next up on this Egyptian food tour. Well, it’s actually night now. Uh, but we are continuing with a legendary Egyptian grilled restaurant. And so they’re preparing. You just smell down this alley another incredibly busy area of old Cairo. You just smell the aroma, the smoke, the meat filling the air. And right as we arrive, they’re making some of the skewers, the tar and kofa. Oh, that’s like a whole bed of tomatoes. Is that tomatoes? Oh, man. In Egypt, the the minced meat is called uh instead of kebab, it’s called kfta rather. And then I think the chunks of meat are called kebab. And then they have are also famous for their tarb. Very good. Man, you can just feel your face burning. Yeah, it is an extremely hot fire. Uh the fire is burning on the side and then they just keep adding more and more coals. Coals just fueling the fire. Oh, Mumbaruk or Sug. Step into the dining room and all the way to the ceiling, you will see uh pictures of famous people, especially famous Egyptians who have been here, who have eaten the grilled meat from this restaurant. Uh, this place is iconic. It’s an institution in Cairo. Oh, the shank. The lamb shank here kofa and lamb chops. Okay, we were only going to come here and eat the tarab and a few other like the kafta and the the lamb chops, but it’s turned into a full-on meat feast. The manager insisted that we had to try the lamb shank and some other things. So yeah, this is beautiful. But we have to start with the tarb. Oh man, you can feel it just squeezing in your fingers. Okay, let’s let’s open this up. Let’s break it open. See the inside. Oh, it’s just all the fat chunk. Oh, it’s just squeezing with juices. The oils. I kid you not. You could squeeze this and juice. Juice would come out. Lamb fat must be wrapped. wrapped in bread. Oh, wow. That is a waterfall of meat juice in your mouth. It is so fatty and has so much flavor. The crumbly minced meat on the inside and wrapped at that coat to keep it even juicy and moistister. Okay, I’m going to go for a lamb chop next. Oh wow, that lamb chop. That’s insane. It is so tender. I just like I was almost shocked when I took that bite and my teeth just went through it like butter. Effortless to chew. That is so much flavor. That lamb chop is insane. Lamb chop level complete. Let’s move on to the next level. The entire lamb shank grilled over the fire. So, I’ve had had lamb shanks plenty of times, like stewed and brazed, but grilled that is a rare rarity. I think maybe they are brazed first, then grilled on that incredibly hot fire. The fat is just oozing, oozing into the meat. All this has to be just bitten. Oh, man. That is just straight up lamb butter. Your teeth just glide through the meat. Again, it’s so soft and tender and then it just absorbs with that smoke from the fire from that incredibly hot fire. Now we know why so many legendary people have been here and have enjoyed the barbecue, the Egyptian grilled meat here. One more lamb shank test. Set it down. Oh, you can shake shake the meat off. Oh, pure clean bone. Now, that’s the sign of a good lamb shank right there. Just the meat shakes off the bone. I was trying to choose a favorite meat. I can’t. They’re all like equally stunning. You won’t be able to choose a favorite. Wow. Amazing. Shukran. Shukran. Shakran. Shakran. Yes. Chronic shock Man, banana. Banana. Yes, you can actually smell the falafel in the air filling this entire intersection, but it’s along the main road and they cook behind here and then they have tables just lined up on both sides of the road. It’s busy. Okay, we’re going to go straight into the kitchen to see the action first. Oh man, look at his skills. He’s so fast. He’s making falafel by hand. That is incredible. He has the fastest falafel hands ever. Oh man, look at that performance. Oh man. Whoa. He has to be the greatest falafel maker in Egypt. Oh, it’s so loud in here. The fire is just it’s raging. The oil is boiling. And he actually does a dance when he makes the falafel. He does it so fast by hand. Now the fool. Oh, he’s scooping it. Oh. Oh, tahini went in. There’s just juices and sauces and food flying around the kitchen. Okay, moves over. Salt goes in. Coriander seeds go in. Oh, okay. Lime juice. Lime juice. Squeeze. Guys. Okay, guys. Guys, stir that up. Whip up that pool. Oh, that’s so much tahini. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, he whips that up. You can see the foamy texture forming at the full with the fool and the It is so loud in that kitchen. And the staff are so hyped that my ears actually are ringing. Okay, we’re getting a seat. Let’s order. I am hungry. The entire breakfast spread is here. Yeah, this is my go-to place when I want to eat Egyptian breakfast. Nice. This is just a normal Egyptian breakfast. Yeah, these are the stuffed falafel. They’re like the size of hamburgers. They’re huge. Let’s see what’s in the inside. That pepper paste. Oh yeah. Stuffed all the way inside. And dill too, right? Oh, you immediately smell that dill. Yeah. Oh man. Wow. Now that is a falafa. Plus the crispiness and aroma of the sesame seeds. Yeah. Oh man. And that pepper paste on the inside. It tastes like almost like a fermented chili sauce. So it has that kind of acidity, that sourness, that lactic acid plus the heat. Plus the aroma of dill, the coriander in there. But this is an extraordinary falafo. Yeah. Let’s try the fool. Yeah. This is the they call it Alexandrian food. Fool. Sorry. Okay. So, one of the things you have to do with fool because of all the toppings and all the ingredients, you have to stir it up. Even though it’s already been whipped up with tahini. All right, that’s good. Bread. Oh man, that’s some of the best roll I’ve had in Egypt. And that has to do with the texture of the fava beans, but I think also the ratio of tahini to fava beans, right? That gives it that smooth like buttery texture and it’s seasoned perfectly. Very fulfilling. Full. Yeah, it’s full. Full filling. Full filling. Yeah. Special falafel stuffed with an egg on the inside. Never seen this before. He called it the the eye of the chick. And the cat. Yes. That is an awesome creation. Yeah, it’s really good. Anything with falaf is good there. Yeah. Yeah. They can’t do anything wrong with falafel here. Abanuba is telling me that one of the famous combinations here. Well, I’ll show you. So, falafel in first. Make the perfect bite. Add some of the the fries. Then you take the pickled eggplant. I’m going to reach down for one of those really juicy juicy full of chilies. One. There we go. The trio. A dip in the tahini. Oh. Oh, this combination bite is called the dinamit, which is the the dynamite bite. That’s one of those bites that has all the flavors and textures you want in your mouth all at the same time. Next up on this Egyptian food tour today in Helopoulos, we’re going to go to a place. Actually, I can smell it in the air, but they are the most famous place probably in all of Egypt for shawarma. Welcome to Abu Hader. Oh, and here’s the shawarma. Oh, man, that smells good. They’ve been open since 1968. This place is historical. It’s legendary. And you’ll smell the aroma before you arrive. And then when you arrive, you see the huge, the colossal sized pillars, the hypo style hall of Egyptian shawarma. All they have is beef shawarma, but you will smell the aroma of lamb. And that’s because it’s all beef, but then within there’s fat, the tail fat of the sheep. So as it cooks, that tail fat just like enrichens and keeps the meat moist and hydrated. Next on a slice. Okay. So when that meat is perfectly cooked and crispy, then he slices it and it drops down into the trough below. He shaves it off. Look at those chopping skills. Oh, that’s mint. Mint and parsley, I think. Now it brings out the double spoon method. Oh, all the gnous goes in. Oh, that’s going to give it some creaminess. And that’s all still cooking underneath the pillar. What a recipe. That’s incredible. That he distributes it over to the other shawarma stations, like the sandwich making stations. Man, they’re just making them non-stop. So this one is I believe the most popular. The Kaiser just loaded in. Sometimes airborne shawarma goes in. So you pay at the front then you get your shawarma. Mostly people stand, but they do have a few standing tables and then just eat the shawarma. And we have two variations to try. Let’s try the Egyptian like the pa bread style first. Actually they gave me like the hogi roll. Oh, okay. We’ll try this. I guess this one is huge. All stuffed with a shamar baba ganoush. the tomatoes, the onions. That’s a goodiz shawarma. And I don’t know if I’ve ever had it in this type of bread, but this is like the the Philly cheese steak of shawarmas right here that you immediately taste the mint in there. It’s like a pepperminty flavor to it. Then you’ve got the tahini with the baba ganoush with the creamy eggnut that adds that little bit of sauce. You’ve got all that meat which has this like crispy juicy fatty texture to it. And as you keep on eating, there’s so much parsley or mint or clove that you almost get a little bit of a numbing sensation on your tongue and your mouth when you’re eating it. And this bread is called the Vienna. Abanuba just telling me is that these two breads are by far the most popular here. This is the Egyptian style. If you get the pa bread, that’s more the Lebanese style. So, this really is the authentic Egyptian style shawa in this type of bread. Now, let’s try their most popular version, which is the Kaiser. Oh, that’s fantastic. This is like the Egyptian Chihuahua slider version. Goes down so easy with that really puffy, really airrated bread. Um, and again that bread, it it does a great job of absorbing all of that juice and that flavor, and yet it doesn’t penetrate all the way through the bread, so it doesn’t get soggy either. And with every bite of meat, you got some bits that are crunchy, some bits that are more juicy, some bits that are like more stringy, bits that are more fatty. Every bite is an adventure of shiadama flavor. Delicious. Highly recommended. Must eat shawadama when you’re in Cairo. Next up on our Egyptian food tour today, we’re right in the heart of Cairo and we’re going to a legendary place that’s called Ali El Shawari that’s been serving the same dish since 1979. Okay, so I’m in the kitchen at this historical legendary spot now with the chefs. Man, they work in this closetized restaurant. Pickled eggplant are a must. Okay, wait. This is the brains. So brains are their one of their signature dishes, the fried brains. Oh, he mixed it with a paste and then that goes into the the bran that gets a dust coating. Oh, nice. Gets sifted out. Oh, he kind of gives him a little squeeze. He’s compressing the brains. Nice. Removing all the excess with the flick of the wrist into his hand and into the the hot grease. And actually, there’s only two things you can get here. Liver and brains. And so those strips of meaty looking thing, that’s uh liver. Oh, look at the stack. The arm stack. Yes. Tahini sal. Oh, look at those skills. And that goes straight out to your table out here. There it is. The portion of liver, fried liver, and fried brains on top. Oh, look at these brain nuggets dusted in coriander seed powder. Break some bread. I have to try that brain nugget into the bread. Dip into that tahini is a must. That is incredible. the creamy panakotta e brain then with that crispy dishing and that marinade that he put onto it and that floral flavor of the the coriander seed as well to compliment it. That’s rich. That’s tasty. That is delicious. Let’s move on to the liver. Get a nice piece of the liver. And again, dip that into the tahini. Oh, the liver is really good, too. It’s like a blanket of liver cuz it’s cut so thin and this crispy texture on the outside and the flavor keeps on coming. Again, that coriander seed, that fresh grind gives it this aromatic quality as well. We’re starting this morning at a legendary place that’s called Ambashandi. Let’s see what Egyptians eat for breakfast. Oh man, they’re fast, too. They’re on turbo sandwich making skills. They’re sandwich engineers. Welcome, welcome. Go, go, go. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Shakran. Shakran, you pay at the counter and then you bring your receipts over to one of the the sandwich makers. There’s like 10 in a row. Sandwich makers. Okay. Give it to him and he’ll make your sandwiches. Yes. Okay. I can’t even follow what’s going on. It’s so fast. He’s making all all of our different sty sandwich combinations. Oh, airborne falafel. We got the falafel tossed in the air. Goes in. Rattled around. Smashed down. Tahini goes in. Yes. The hype, the excitement, the thrill. It’s almost dizzying. I am telling you, nothing will prepare you for the shock and excitement of the Egyptian breakfast rush. It is intense. It’s like the equivalent of riding on a roller coaster for food. So, you get your sandwiches. There’s no seating here. Uh people just stand around and eat or they take away. They eat it in their car or on the go while walking. But they were so kind. They actually blocked a parking space, set out this table right here. So, we got the like very special treatment. They’re incredibly friendly. Really nice here. I don’t think there’s any labeling. I think you just need to open them and peek peek what’s inside. Oh, this is the dynamite. This is the one I’m most excited to try. Well, one I’m excited to try them all, but this one was with egg, with fool, with uh eggplant, and with fries all wrapped into the Egyptian bread. Oh. Oh, man. This one is the dynamite. Oh, that combination is unbelievable. Let’s try the next sandwich. I think this one is a straight stuffed falafel with a hini with salad. The falafel is incredible. It’s so crispy on the outside, so crumbly on the inside. You taste the aroma. Almost has like a a nutmeg a nutmeg flavor to it. Yes. The sesame seeds, the green coriander, the fava beans. Oh, and what you really taste is the coriander seed as well. That takes the falafel to the next level. Okay, next. Oh, this one is smaller in the hands. Let’s see what’s inside. Oh, I think this one is just a straight full. Yes. This is as Egyptian as you can get. Egyptian bread and just wool. That fool. That is some of the greatest fool you’ll ever have. That fool is a mastery of beans. If you think beans are boring, think again. This is like incredible flavor, packed with protein, something nutritious, hearty, filling, and absolutely delicious. I’m speechless and blown away and happy. I’m in a little bit of a state of shock of just how good those sandwiches were. Absolutely incredible. And we’re on our way to the next spot. Abanoo, where are we going for lunch? To And this is the place right here. Wait, which one is it? It’s the the orange one or the gold one? The gold one. It’s an entire shopping mall plaza of a restaurant. And this is a palace of a restaurant. We are here right at noon, which I think is very early. So, I think we’re going to beat the main rush, but Abanuba is telling me that it’s extremely popular. Like, there’ll be a crowd. There’ll be a like a stadium of people that come to eat here at peak meal times in the afternoon or in the evening. Bell peppers go on a fire show. Everything is a performance. Some pigeons here in the kitchen. Oh, Egyptian stuffed pigeons. Yes. Now moving over to the rice. The rice is very important. Oh, you can see it’s infused. It’s aromatic. Look at that color. This is the the mundi which has already been cooked usually underground and I believe it’s uh sheep. Wow, look at that color. Okay, this is all freshly cooked this morning. All ready to go. You eat this. Okay. Okay. For you. Okay. It’s for you. All right. He’s making our mundi tray right now. Yeah. So now he’s chopping up some of the meat selection. And that goes directly on top of the the rice. Oh. In a spoke wheel formation. Oh, the kofa goes on. Oh, all the rice is getting buried like a spoke. A spokes of grilled meat goes on top of your mountain of rice, your mundi tray. Oh man. Oh, and then sprinkled on. Oh, okay. Uh, raisins go on top. Sprinkled with raisins. Nice. Okay. And this is the grill room. Look at the size of that grill. But again, we’re here at a off peak time, so it’s not full yet, but it’s the size of a bus. It’s huge. They’re putting on fresh kofa right now. Oh man, they just filled up the entire grill. That’s like hundred hundreds of kebabs and kaftas on the grill. Okay, I just asked the manager. He said the restaurant because we’re we’re on the first floor, but there’s seven stories of seating. He said about 2,000 people can eat at one time and about 20,000 people eat here every day. That is insane quantities. That’s why everything is humongous. Oh man, the tag are just lining up. The mashi wine leaves. Wine leaves. Oh, I think it’s the cow. The cow leg. Cow leg. Cow leg. Oh, cow leg. All filled on top of the the vine leaves. Oh, what a move. Haven’t seen that before. Bell peppers on top. You almost cannot see the rice on the bottom. There’s so much meat on top. It’s a It’s a mountain. It’s heavy. Yeah, this weighs kilos. Yeah, that is a feast. And again, it will just blow your mind that we came here at a totally off peak time. When it’s busy, it can seat 2,000 people at this restaurant. You imagine that the scale, the magnitude, the amount of people that come here to enjoy the food. Yeah. This is amazing. Yeah. You’ll love it. Yeah. Yes. Okay, man. This is male goat. Okay. Yeah. Uh cooked underground. Oh, okay. So, the mundi here’s goat actually. Yeah. Main goat. Yeah. Okay. We call it this. Okay. Check it. This is like the the rib the rib section. Look at how oily oily juicy that meat is. Oh, wow. Wow. That is ultra flavorful. It’s tender. It’s smoky. Oh man, it’s salty. Oh, and again, like it’s not it’s not necessarily like like a lot of spices or seasoning. It’s just the cooking method, the Monday cooking method and the freshness of the meat that makes a difference. Yeah, you can really taste the quality of the meat. Yeah. Let’s try the rice now. Oh man. Packed with flavor. Absolutely loaded with flavor. Lemon, tomato, onions, maybe some coriander and lemon in there. Yeah. Like a refreshing tomato sauce that you can add to your rice. Kind of like helps with the the richness of everything. Always love it with that tomato sauce. So refreshing. Really tart. The aroma of the onion and the garlic in there too, I think. and the the coriander. Oh man, that just brightens it all up. I’m going in for another piece. Look at how meaty it is. I think this is from the the shank. I think it’s meat from the shank. Look at that gooey. Oh, the gooey tenderness. Thumb tender. You can just squeeze your thumb and it just it just melts in your fingers. Oh man, the meat from that shank melts in your mouth. It’s sticky, embedded with the smoke. Oh, the muscles, the tissue, the muscles of the the animal are just totally broken down until ultra tenderness. This is another absolute Egyptian touch. Tahini served with everything and especially eaten with meat. You can dip your mundi into the tahini as well. And once you start doing it, guaranteed you will love it. Yeah. Okay, we’re moving into the tarb. So, you break a a little side of the bread. Open it up like a Is it the boat? Is it the boat? Is the boat move? Yeah. Okay, you take the tarb. You put it inside or nestle it inside the boat. You can put a little salad, too. Put a little salad inside just if you’re filling up for a little bit of vegetables in there to balance of course the meat and fat. Then a dip in the tahini is a must. There’s a reason why everyone, myself included, loves tab. It just doesn’t get better than that. Oh, I think in the tomato sauce it will be good too. Oh, that is stunning. And we’ve eaten probably maybe four or five times so far in Egypt. All of them have been outstanding. But this one is like the thickest. Yeah. It’s like a straight up like meatball. So chunky that will blow you away. and the extremely friendly staff. Yes. Okay. Shakran. Yes. Shakran Shakran Shakran. Thank you very much. Shakran Shakran Mr. Hassan Masi. Wow. Shakran. He’s the greatest manager. Nice to meet you. Very friendly. We’ll take care of you. And to manage a restaurant like this is absolutely impressive. Yes. Thank you very much for having us. Shakran Shakran. And just as we’re leaving now, people are starting to pour in. We’ve spent the last like three full days and a half a day in Cairo. It’s been unbelievable. I think I’ve learned a lot about Egyptian food and we’ve had just some incredible experiences I’ll never forget. But Cairo, you’ve been amazing. From here we drive to Alexandria. And that’s where Abanoob is from. Hometown of Abanoob. Alexandria, here we come. But before we leave to Alexandria, just look at the parking situation in Cairo. We’re parked here, just sandwiched in. People just leave their It’s like double, triple, quadruple cars parked. We’re on our way. It’s been hectic. It’s been great. Took us like 15 minutes to We did a had to do a 25p point turn to get out of that spot with those cars parked, but we made it out of the maze of a parking lot. On our way to Alexandria now. Should be about a 2 and 1 half or three hour drive. Cairo always hectic. Yeah, 24/7. All right, welcome to the beautiful city of Alexandria. It’s an ancient city on the Mediterranean Sea and it’s the second biggest city in Egypt. Uh already loving the character here. Uh but it’s a beautiful city, but we are really tired. So tonight we’re going to take an early night. Going to get some rest and then tomorrow we have a full food tour Alexandria coming up for you. Uh it’s going to be another great day tomorrow. So, we’re at the first spot uh down this alley. Follow me. Good morning, Aanu. Yes, man. Oh, this place is packed. Look at this place. Oh, man. What a spot. Slotted between the alleys and the kitchen. Oh, and greeted by all the friendly staff. You are welcome at our small place. Thank you very much. A great place. A great place. Oh, there’s falafel. Okay, there’s fries. The breakfast action in Alexandria is in full force right now. And let me just quickly explain what’s going on here. They’re famous for their stuffed falafilles. They’re famous for fool. They’re famous for all the different breakfast Egyptian salads and dishes and side dishes and everything. And they’re also famous for a style of serving which is on the tray, a single person tray with full with falafel with all the different salads of your choice. They kind of popularized that trend. These are fresh trays ready to serve to customers. Yes. Yes. Oh. Oh, that looks good. We call it shami bread. Shami bread. Oh, shami is like Lebanese, isn’t it? Yeah. Okay. Shame. Oh, okay. Now, let’s try the fool. I’ve had fool every single day without fail in Egypt and it’s something I could eat every day for breakfast. I’ve told you that already. Well, the creaminess, the protein, the tahini mixed in. This one has some uh tomatoes, some peppers, and in Alexandria, do they use what type of oil or No, just vegetable oil. Oh, just vegetable oil. Okay. We don’t eat the flax seed oil in Alexander like in Cairo or other areas. Okay. But we like to blend it because that way it will be easier to digest. Ah, okay. So, it’s actually like blended into a blended fava bean paste. Okay, let’s move in for their famous stuffed falafel. The melted cheese on the inside. Oh, did you see that poof? That cloud of steam that came out when you break it open. Okay. And then the Egyptian way to do it is to grab it with bread. You could put the whole thing in or you could Oh. Oh. Oh, look at that. The cheese squeeze. Okay. Oh, it’s so creamy. Okay. Oh yeah, the cheese add like a little creaminess. Uh-huh. It’s It’s really Yeah. That’s like a new take on a falafo. You got that same extra crispy exterior. The crumbly fava bean infused with coriander and then you have this melted creamy salty cheese on the inside that adds this like richness to it. Get some of the fried eggplant. Scoop into the fool. That’s a You can even use your other piece of bread to kind of leverage it. Scoop it on. Taste that with the green chili, the fried green chili. I love that combination. The creaminess of the eggplant, the creaminess of the fool, and then the green chili chaser. Okay. And we have two different types of cheese. Egyptian cheese. This one is called the old cheese and the the new cheese. Cottage cheese. Oh, and the cottage cheese. Okay. We have had some old cheese so far in Egypt. They call it arish. Okay. This is like a kind of like a cheese salad though. Made with tomatoes. Yeah. And it’s kind of creamy and saucy. Not too strong, but a good like fermentation definitely. And then it’s made into like a sauce so that it’s easy to dip with the acidity, the juiciness of the tomatoes. Okay, now let’s try the cottage cheese version. You can almost taste the probiotics. No, I’m just joking. But the onions, the tomato. M. What I like about this one is you can really taste the dill in it. Herbaceious, creamy, that kind of like yogurty sourness to that cheese as well. This is another outstanding breakfast in Egypt. The variety and just a cool, really cool, really friendly place. The staff are so friendly. I love the atmosphere here. It’s really in the back alleys of Alexandria and then they have some nice dining areas where you can kind of escape the busyiness of Alexandria for a peaceful breakfast. And we’re on our way to the next spot. They’re doing a bit of construction outside. Looks like they’re renovating the front of the restaurant, but it’s a heritage. It’s an iconic restaurant uh that’s famous for one unique dish that we’re going to try. The grill master. Yes. What an awesome man. And I love he has the feather fan on the grill, but he’s just getting ready to cook what they’re most famous for, which is coils. Okay, I think our ours is ready. Coils are ready. Man, that skin is charred. It’s sizzling. Those coils smell so good. So, Abanoo, you were telling me this place is legendary also, right? Yeah, it’s very famous here in Alexandria. It’s called King of Queens. the coils. Yeah. Nice. I used to open just just three months a year. Okay. When it was coing the season, but now it’s open all year, all year round. Okay. I’m going to pick this little coil up. And you can see how juicy it is. It’s moist and oily and juicy with that spice blend just charred upon it. And you can break off Oh, the drumstick. Break off the drumstick. You see how oily and moist that meat is? Oh wow. Oh, that’s phenomenal. It is so moist and oily and really like the meat is silky smooth. Yeah, it’s really good. Mhm. But they’re famous links of sausages, suganoo, which is the Egyptian eggplant spread. extremely tasty. Next up, we’re going to eat something that’s really important and it is Egyptian, but it’s from Alexandria. But before we eat that, I think it’s important to tell you a little bit about the history and the significance of Alexandria, because this city is fascinating. Located in northern Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea, the area of Alexandria was originally an ancient Egyptian settlement that was later founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. The city has definitely had its ups and downs from being an ancient capital of knowledge and learning to a ghost town and today a thriving Egyptian city, the second biggest in Egypt and the biggest city on the Mediterranean Sea. You will love the energy here, the narrow lanes teeming with yellow cabs, the vibrant markets, the contrast of ancient and new. And when it comes to the food, the excitement is never ending. Next up on this Egyptian food tour in Alexandria, we’re going to eat something that you absolutely have to eat when you come to Alexandria. It’s called fatir. Oh, getting our first look at the fatir. All baking in the oven. Shakran. Oh, look. He’s getting started on a a fresh one right now. So, it starts. Oh, man. He helicopters that dough. Oh. Spreading it out until it’s paper thin, translucent, see-through. Okay. And then he folds it over. Going to make the shape now. Stretches it out again. And now you get your choice of toppings. This one looks like meat. Sausage. Sausage. Oh, sausage. Straight sausage goes on. Okay. Oh, more meat goes on. Looks like a minced meat mixture. Wow. Tomatoes go on. Okay. Berma. Basterma goes on, too. Oh, the toppings keep on coming now. A whole handful. A double handful of cheese. That’s so much cheese. Oh, and it gets folded over. That’s thick. So many ingredients in the center packed in. Okay, so now you have the layers of the dough. And now he kind of pleats that over into a package. Oh man, that is just fully stuffed, fully loaded Alexandria style. Oh, fresh one ready. Okay, and that goes directly into the oven. He slides it into the box and then immediately slices it. The cheese is oozing and you can see how crispy it is. And it’s so crispy on those top layers. Okay, very good. Okay, now he’s slicing up a fresh one. You can see all those ingredients. Cheese just squeezing out. Oh, served in a pizza box. We got the potato hot and fresh. Huge thank you to all the all the chefs here. Really friendly. Really nice. And the in the back here, he’s the potato master. Yes. Oh, yeah. There’s got to be a strategy here. It’s hot. Oh, that feels good in the finger. Ooh, that’s hot. I’ll try. I think I got it. Oh. Oh, it’s so hot. Okay. Oh. Oh, wow. Okay. If you love melted cheese. Oh, there’s steam coming out of my mouth. That is as good as it gets. It’s just a waterfall of cheese just melting, dropping down from your tongue. Then you could get a piece of that basherma, the juiciness of the tomatoes with that thin, paper thin dough that’s so crispy and buttery. And the the sug that that sausage that he was adding in is a sugation, in minced meat formation. Wow, that was good. Okay, let’s move on to the next spot. And next up, we’re also eating something that’s extremely famous in Alexandria. Oh man, this is the next spot. Oh, there’s just a crowd of people huddled outside. Oh, it’s packed. Oh man, look at how fast that dough is ready. He makes it into the perfect ball shape. All even sizes. There’s all the balls of dough ready to go. Then it moves over to this station where he’s flattening them out. All the balls of dough. And then it moves over to the next station where he tops it with the meat filling. A variety of meat filling, I think. Oh, and this one is like a minced meat. And then it gets topped. Okay. There’s sug meat. Oh, and basturma, I think. So, we’re here to eat Alexandrian style hawashi. And this place, it is a packed house. Oh, this is amazing. And this is only the first station outside on the sidewalk where they’re rolling out the dough and making the hawashi. Then they go inside where they’re cooking. And we’re going to see the next step, I think, if we can get into the kitchen. We’ll see if we can even make it in there. Okay. And now it’s on the hot griddle. Oh, wow. Okay. Cheese goes on top. Okay. Whoa. Flaming hot. Wa. Oh man, the oven is blazing. It’s intense. the the pace. Woo! That’s hot. Hot coming from the oven. Props to the baker, man. He’s getting a workout. Just nonstop. And these are the finished hoses here. So then they get sliced up. Oh, with the meat on the inside. Oh, it’s so juicy. The cheese. Yes, the cheese pull. And then into boxes. Hawashi boxes. This is about as highpaced octane turbo of a kitchen that you’ll see anywhere in the world. Oh man, on another level. Open it up. Oh, they have to put a little plastic on it. Oh, it’s steaming. And this is the Alexandrian hawashi, which is totally different from the Cairo hashi. Yeah, it almost looks like nothing like it. It’s topped with cheese. There’s meat on the inside. Let’s just grab one piece. Grab a piece. I think we got two different Yeah, we got two different ones. One is with the minced meat, one is with the sug Oh. Oh, the cheese. Look on the inside. It’s like a cheese crust on the top. And look how moist that mince meat is. Oh wow. Oh, that is that’s unbelievable. You will not believe how juicy the meat is on the inside. How cheesy the stretchiness of the cheese and the dough on both sides surrounding it. It’s like a It’s like a soup dumpling like baked bread with cheese all over it. Wow, that’s good. That is hashi on the next level. And it’s so hot and so steaming. Let’s move on to the next hawashi. Oh, and this one is fresh out of the oven. Just boiling hot. This one is with a sug. Okay, ready for the the first I think that first bite right in the center while it’s flaming hot is one of the most satisfying bites you can have. If you lift up this flap, the cheese Oh, the cheese crust. Oh, man. It’s like soupy in your mouth from the cheese and the meat oil and the dough which is saturated with the oils and the juices. This one you taste more of an herbaceious aroma. Uh maybe with some thyme or some oregano in that meat with cheese, meat, cheese, green peppers, dough baked in a sauna of an oven. This is hard to beat. There’s a reason why there’s such a huge crowd here. You will not go wrong. Next up tonight, we’re going to a restaurant that is an absolute institution. It’s a restaurant that you have to eat at when you’re in Alexandria. It’s one of the the main iconic legendary restaurants. Welcome to Balba. And again, there is no bigger name, no more famous name in the restaurant industry in Alexandria than Balba. It is a true family restaurant institution known for their grills, their Egyptian grilled meat and also fish. They’re known for chicken. They’re known for lamb chops. And this restaurant is huge. Okay. So, we’re ordering some of the lamb chops. Hello. Some of the best lamb chops in all of Egypt. Okay. Okay. Yes, that’s what we came for, the lamb chops. Okay. Okay. So, the lamb chops. Oh, and the lamb chops just go directly into the the trough of tomatoes, onions, peppers into the grill. Wow. Dripping with juice with tomato juice. And that goes directly onto the grill. Look at the scale of this grill. It’s a full 180° grill. It’s a half moon. It’s huge. Yeah. Oh. Oh, yeah. Oh, that’s the famous the legendary Balba chicken which we did order just sizzling with onions. Okay. Okay. Oh, the heart. Nice. The man. Oh. Oh, look. He made a heart for delivery. A heart for delivery. Very, very nice. Yeah. This guy is the master plater right here. Kisses to everyone. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Yeah, people here are friendly. Um, and they gave us like the royal plating. Here we go. These are known to be some of the best lamb chops in Egypt. Oh, yeah. In all Egypt. Yeah. In all of Egypt. Okay. Okay. I’ll take that one. Oh man, it is moist. It’s out of control. Moist and juicy. Oh. Oh, man. Oh, yeah. Wow. That is a crazy good lamb chop. It’s fresh. It’s moist. It’s juicy. It’s coated in tomato juice and onions. That’s a phenomenal lamb chop. Oh, then you get that little section with the fat on it. It’s so good. Best part. This is the best part. Mhm. That’s insanely good. But let’s move over to the chicken. And this chicken, I love how it’s grilled with onions and peppers just embedded into it. I’ll just go right into the center there and kind of scoop out a scoop out a bite. Not even sure if it’s bone. It has little bones. The bone side. Which side is the bone? No. You never know. You never know which side is up and which side is down on this chicken. You’re disoriented cuz of all those toppings. Oh, but it’s so juicy on the inside. Look at that. Mhm. Wow. That’s phenomenal. That is juicy, oily, infused with onions. Very good. Everything you want in a chicken. Oh, very good. Very good. Everything you want in a chicken. Chicken. Very good. Very good. If anyone visiting Alexandria from other parts of Egypt, is this a must visit? Oh yeah. They come here especially for this place. People come here to eat at Baba. Yeah. Yeah. From like from long time ago. Okay. Yeah. The lamb chops are impossible to beat here. That’s the meat of choice. Chukran. Chukran. Next up on this Egyptian food tour tonight, we’re going to one of the most popular places in all of Alexandria. You can smell the liver in the air. And just look at this place. It is just another brawling restaurant in Egypt. Kind of street food kind of restaurant. They serve it all from a couple of shopous and then there’s just crowds of people standing around. Then there’s just tables in the rooms. Uh, the smell of liver just filling the air. This place is called Alala, I believe. Many sandwiches. Wow. That is a bouquet of sandwiches. How many? 15. 20. Oh, 13. Wow. 30 sandwiches. So, the legendary Alexandria liver sandwiches. This place is It’s the type of place you can find people from all walks of life come here to enjoy the sandwiches. They’re little sandwiches. So people get like a mountain of sandwiches. Not even kidding. Literally a mountain. Okay. So the strategy is So actually these are little mini lemons. So you squeeze on then you take a bite of the sandwich and chase with the green pepper. Oh, and it’s that really light. Oh yeah. It’s really light bread. M. Oh, and taste with the green chili. Okay, that is very tasty. It’s simple. Oh, and with the crunch of the green chili, it’s salty. It’s a little bit spicy. You’ve got that acid from the lemon. The liver kind of just like melts in your mouth with the chewy, fluffy bread. They go down really easily. And I can see how they are very addictive. The liver has to be sliced very thin to make it Alexandrian style. Even though they’re slices of liver because it’s tender like that. It’s almost like a a liver spread almost. Yeah. Liver butter within the within your bread. Well, bites. Okay. That last bite is a little bit big. Good morning. It’s another beautiful day in Alexandria, Egypt. And today, we’re eating a bunch of amazing seafood. But first, we’re starting with a quick breakfast where people line up for their cheese. Let’s go taste it. Oh, this place is extremely popular. um known as Alban’s milk and it is a kind of a deli cheese shop with products and deli meats and Swiss cheese uh but made Egyptian and it dates back to the 1970s when it was started. They’ve expanded to the opposite side of the road where they have a whole dining room seating section. Oh, check. And they deliver it from the kitchen in this box so it remains hot from the kitchen straight to your table. So, let’s start with the bread. These really Well, yeah, it is like a unique little mini loaf of bread. It’s really light. Break a piece of the bread. So, what is what is this one? This is actually one of my favorite dishes. Like, egg cheese mix and basta sprinkled with a little pepper it looks like. Scoop in. Oh, it’s like a egg cheese sauce. Oh. Oh, it’s cheesy and uzy and eggy. M. Oh, yes. That is like a It’s milky at the same time. Maybe from the cheese or maybe there’s milk in there, too. But it’s like a milky scrambled eggs with the saltiness of the cheese and the bastard making it that meaty flavor. Wow. It’s like a saucy egg that’s perfect for up with this slightly chewy, puffy bread. So this is just a puddle of melted cheese, Egyptian suguk sausage and tomato sauce. Oh wow. The sug is melting. Melting into the cheese. Oh, that one is awesome. That sausage, the tomato sauce, green peppers in there, the melted cheese holding it all together. Yeah, the acidity from the tomatoes and the cheese is very good. Very good. really good and really rich. That is a a calorie packed breakfast. Okay, we’re moving on to the next spot which is definitely going to be another place with a lot of action. Made it to the busy market. It’s so colorful and the market is busy this morning as well. Uh but we’re passing through vegetables, fruits in route to the seafood market. And Alexandria is very famous for seafood being along the Mediterranean coast. So today we’re really going to be exploring some of the local seafood. But I’m enjoying this market walk. It is busy and colorful and all the ingredients you need for Egyptian cooking. And then we kept walking towards the center of the market and you come to more of the seafood section where all the fresh catch from the Mediterranean Sea directly local here in Alexandria. You’ll find stalls uh selling everything from cuttlefish to red mullet to I think a type of some type of subs. There’s shrimp. There’s soulfish. There’s uh what they call Mediterranean sea bass. All available tucked within this market. Okay. Thank you. Oh, nice. People are cool here. So, we’re just choosing our seafood. This is actually the restaurant that grills the seafood as well. Uh so, they have the fish market outside. We’re going to get some of the cuttlefish. We’re going to get uh the Mediterranean sea bass uh cooked like butterfly cut open, baked and then I think we’ll get one grilled on the hot griddle. But everything is very, very fresh. Definitely. Okay, for this fish, it gets dunked into the brin. The bran is the Egyptian way. This one is going to be grilled. And then that goes directly onto the hot grill. Wo! Oh, it’s a flaming grill. Oh yeah, that’s like a burner grill. Incredibly hot. Smell the smokiness. Okay, this one’s our fish. Um, and now we’re going to see the preparation as they make it. But this one is going to We’re going to get this one, the sea bass, uh, baked style. Egyptian butterfly cut and baked style. Oh, with the eggs. Oh, that’s why you wanted to show us the eggs. Look at the eggs. They’re fully intact. The egg sack. Oh, that’s important. Okay, onions go on first. And this style of preparation is called sangetti. Oh, sea bass goes on. Oh, look at that. I think it’s like salad water. Spice tomato juice. Oh, what a move. That’s combination of looks like onions, looks like coriander. There’s some dill in there. Tomatoes go on. Lemon and another scoop. Oh, it gets showered, bathed in that tomato sauce. And oh, a nice amount of salt goes on chili powder. Oh, and the eggs. The egg sack. Cannot forget about the egg sack. Oh, right on top. Oh, that’s beautiful. What a preparation. That’s artistic. Wow. Shakran. Next step oil goes on. And that goes directly into the oven. Oh, the oven is below the hot griddle. Nice. Such a cool oven technique. There’s oven on the bottom and then grills or hot grles on the top and it’s just smoking. There’s so much fire. It’s so much heat. That is a a straight up steam room of fish. And the way they do it in Egypt with with that bran and it just kind of smokes out the fish, leaving the fish the meat on the inside moist and juicy and tender, but uh cooking it all the way through. And we have one fish on the top, one fish on the bottom. Now for the cuttlefish. Oh man, that’s a razor sharp knife. Okay, get some marinade. Oh, chili. Nice. Hit that with a little cumin. I think a little pepper. Okay, now it’s gonna go into the the flour. That gets a nice That gets a nice coating of flour dusted. Okay, cuttlefish goes in. Oh, sprinkled with cumin and pepper and salt. Shran. Oh, that’s our fish. It’s ready fried out of the oven. And then he sizzles it just for a second on top of the hot griddle as well. This place is called Ganet Mohamad. I think in English they said it was like Mohameda seafood paradise. So, we’re sitting down. All the seafood is ready. I’m excited to try this seafood. It’s all fresh from the Mediterranean Sea. Local. Okay, I think I’m going to start with that cuttlefish because it’s hot and fresh. Sprinkled with cumin and pepper and deep fried till crispy. Dip it in the tahini. M. Oh, that’s fantastic. Oh, the tenderness of that cuttlefish. It’s nice and salty and crispy and meaty. Okay, next up for the fish. What they call sea bass, but from the Mediterranean Sea. Maybe a type of sea bass. The cooking method is called senghetti with the eggs, the sacks on top. Oh, it’s so meaty. Oh, it’s juicy down there, too. Oh, they’ve cooked it perfectly. Yeah, look at how juicy it is. They actually definitely should reach in with the fingers for this. It’s the best way to eat a fish. And you can feel the juiciness in your hands. Oh, that that is fantastic. the tomato juice, the onion juice, the cumin, lemon, onions, coriander. He just kept making it rain with all those juices and sauces on top of the fish. And then the way they bake it in such a hot oven, it kind of creates a a crust on the top of the fish, a tomato crust or like a bark. It’s like fish bark on top, like barbecue. Okay, I’m going to squeeze on some more lemon. He kind of has some baked lemon and some fresh lemon on here. Oh yeah. Look, you can get whole pieces of the lemon slices and scoop on with those onions. Oh, the moistness, the juiciness with those onion. Oh. Oh, look. There’s just like a puddle of puddle of fish juice. I got a whole slice of that lemon, which is baked in the oven, so it’s cooked, but it’s sour. Oh, that’s good. That’s very tasty. Oh, look at that. The entire egg sack. It’s like a sausage. Okay, this definitely needs a dip in tahini. Oh, that’s a huge egg sack. That’s salty. That collapses. It’s an avalanche of little beads in my mouth. Very tasty. That’s a a straight up egg sack sausage. And with that tahini, that’s really good. That’s awesome. Fantastic. And in Egypt, they say it’s good for the male health. Okay, next up for the dingy fish, which was grilled on the hot griddle, wrapped or dusted in the bran. For this one, you can eat a little bit of that skin, but it is pretty charred. So, I think you can either like reach in and get the meat on the inside, but maybe we’ll try a little bit of that skin on the next bite. Oh, again, the way that it’s prepared, you can see how moist and buttery that fish is. That’s fantastic. The puress of that fish, the freshness, the the flakiness. It’s moist and oily, but it’s really like pure fish. It’s really smoky as well as when it cooks on that hot griddle, that hot griddle. It absorbs that. It just goes up in a cloud of smoke with that brand and the smoke just absorbs back into the fish. Highly recommended. An outstanding seafood experience in Alexandria. The market was very local, very vibrant, very cool. And from here, we’re going to jump into the car. And we have, I think, about a 30 or 45 minute drive to get to the next place, which is going to be outside of the city for the next seafood meal. Just a 30inut drive outside of Alexandria up the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. And look at this place. It’s beautiful. What a location. What an atmosphere. And you will find a very popular seafood restaurant, which I think is that one right behind me. This restaurant is super cool. It’s like a beach shack on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt. Then they have this main house here. Uh and you actually come inside. That’s a heavy load. There’s people waiting around. You come inside and right we’re waiting to get inside right there which is where you choose your fresh catch your fresh seafood for the day and then they cook it in the back and then you sit and eat. But very cool spot. The shrimp. Okay. We’ve met the owner. She is extremely friendly. Okay. Ah, okay. He’s like the real owner and she’s part of the family maybe. Okay. But she is the the local legend here and she kind of controls the seafood. Auntie Mayeda. She’s so nice. She’s so really cool. Oh, and while we’re waiting in line, Auntie gave us a lemon juice. Oh yeah. Lemon juice and mint. What a combination. Two of those. Okay, we’re going to get some of the the red mullets this time. I said that’s in season right now. Then we’re going to get some of the soul as well. And then the shrimp. Shrimp is a must here. I think I saw everyone ordering shrimp. And then we’re going to get two of the big I think these are blue swimmer crabs or blue crabs. Mediterranean crabs. Yeah, it’s pretty cool. It’s like a whole fish market in here. And then you just choose what you want. They weigh it out. They give you your bill. Fishermen direct sea to the fish market on the sea to your table on the sea. All local. So, we got seated. It took a while to get seated because it’s packed, actually. Um, but then when you sit down, the good thing is your seafood comes fast. And we got butterfly cut shrimp. We got the crab. We got the soul, the red mullet. But we’re starting with their famous uh seafood soup. And the sun is just starting to go down. It’s beautiful. Okay. Oh, it looks creamy. Crab in here. Oh, crab. Like a crab soup. Oh, and some uh cuttlefish as well. Looks very like milky. Oh, that is good. Creamy and milky. Somewhat like a thin chowder almost. A little bit. Mhm. Infused with the sweetness of the seafood. Okay. Something I’m most looking forward to trying here are these butterfly cut shrimp. I think they must be baked with butter. Look at that. That’s wonderful. really good. Yeah, that’s so good. Sweet. It’s smoky. I’ll dip my other bite into the tahini. The tail of the shrimp. Oh, the shrimp is amazing. Very fresh. And that preparation method keeps the juices within the the shrimp bite the head. It’s smoky, buttery. That shrimp is awesome. Really good. Very fresh. And the bite. Yeah. From the bite, you know, it’s really fresh. Mhm. And these are local from Alexandria or from nearby. I think this one’s from Swiss. But this is the This is called a shrimp. This is the highest like best shrimp. Best shrimp in all Egypt. Okay. He just brought us a plate of the fried eggplant. Let’s try that immediately. Oh, wow. Crispy creamy eggplant. Oh, with that fried chili. That’s like a creamy eggplant chip. And the green chili is good, too. blistered fried. Has some heat to it. That eggplant is phenomenal. Next up for the crab. Again, these are Mediterranean crabs. Let’s see if we can This is female crab with the eggs. Female crab. Let’s see if we can pull out the apron over there. Pop this guy open. I mean, this gal. I guess it’s a egg egg crab. Then all you pop it in half, crack it in half, and then all that all that meat on the inside. I think these are steamed. Oh, yeah. Here. Yeah. I remember. Oh man, that is sweet. Cooked till it’s juicy as well. Yeah, that’s really nice. Really good. Really sweet. really fresh and really local as well. Yeah. A little bit of like a salty salinity seawater flavor to it. Oh yeah, I love the crab. Okay, next up for the soul fried. That’s a perfect little steak. Fish steak. You can eat. So, some of those bones might be a little bit tough though. Um, oh yeah, the meat is moist. What were you saying about this fish? Uh, because there is a myth that uh because it looks like half fish that when Moses like uh uh split the sea, the Red Sea. Oh, yeah. Okay. The fish split with it. That’s why if you put two fish together, they look like one fish. Okay. Cuz it does look like a half a fish. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it’s like a They are the strangest looking creatures. Even though they’re very tasty. Yeah, they’re very strange. They swim like that. Not like that. On the bottom of the on the bottom of the sea, right? Not sure. But like that. Yeah. Okay. Let me pull off some of that that fillet. This is lightly like dusted with flour and then fried. Okay. And I think dusted with cumin as well. I love how they dust all the seafood with cumin. M. Yeah, the soul is amazing. It’s not the meatiest fish, not the most meat, but the meat that you do get is fantastic. It’s flavorful. It’s oily. It’s like a It’s like a swimming filt. That’s what it is. That was fantastic. To continue with our Alexandria Egyptian food tour today, which is especially focusing on seafood, we’re back in the center of Alexandria and we’re going to a place that’s down an alley that’s famous for their seafood sandwiches. And this place is called Abos Salah. Abos Salah. Abos Salah. Okay. Okay, so seafood sandwiches. We’re going to get started on a fresh batch. Oh, the shrimp. Nice. Oh, that looks like it’s already been marinated. Flour goes on. Oh, that is a small mountain of shrimp. Okay, so yeah, I love that technique. Like we saw with the other seafood, too. The seafood is marinated, then coated in flour, and then dusted just to get that coating so that they’re going to get crispy as they deep fry. Oh, look at those skills. Oh, getting out all that extra flour. Nice. Okay. And those shrimp. Look at the way he twirls that oil before the shrimp go in. Oh man, he’s done an excellent job frying those. Look at how crispy they are. Perfectly browned. Okay. And that’s a fresh batch of the shrimp that goes directly to the sandwich making area. Okay. So, now they’re making the sandwiches. Mayonnaise into the bread. Oh, the bread is pretty big. Lettuce goes in. Okay. Now over to that fresh seafood. The shrimp goes in. Oh, and they’re just lining them up. Sandwiches are ready. Chakran. Okay, here we go. So, we got Baba Abdo fresh sandwiches. Let’s start with that shrimp. They’re like kind of like popcorn shrimp. Yeah. Oh, it keeps coming. Keeps coming. Oh, look at that. That’s beautiful. A few shrimp on in stuck in the bag. Oh, I can’t wait to bite into You can feel how fluffy that bread is. So fluffy. Oh, look at that. It’s just It’s just like a pillow of bread. And look at the other side. A little bit of sesame seeds. It’s just a a pillow to cradle to cradle those shrimp nestled. And I think we will break it in half so we can see that cross-section. And that’s where the the shrimp are the densest. Ready for it? Oh, yes. Okay, here we go. Oh, wow. The shrimp. That’s the star. Always fresh, never frozen. They’re kind of peppery. They’re crispy with the creamy mayonnaise, the crunch of the lettuce, and that bun. It’s a roll, but it eats more like a bun because it’s really soft and pillowy, really airy, and it definitely is kind of like a poboy. It’s an Egyptian poboy. But I think what stands out is the quality, the freshness. You don’t see them frying big batches. It’s batch by batch, taking care, and quality, and really like taking pride in what they do. That’s a quality quality shrimp sandwich right there. again, just absolutely loaded stuff. Oh man, this one’s even more stuffed. Look at that. Absolutely packed packed full of huge pieces of cuttlefish and generous portions. Let’s break this open. The cross section, that center is the best because it’s absolutely loaded with the most amount of seafood. Oh, that bread tears. Yes. That’s equally spectacular. The meatiness of that cuttlefish because cuttlefish have those big bodies. It’s like solid meat like squid but even meteor. And then again, that salty battered like dry batter flour frosting and deep fried until crispy, hot, fresh, warming, comforting. That’s what stands out, the freshness. Now that you hold the bread for a few minutes, you can see that just like the bread is so puffy, but then when you push press down on it, it just condenses. So, it’s the perfect apparatus for nestling whatever you want on the inside, whatever seafood, whether it be shrimp or cuttlefish. And this is a really nice addition. Of course, in Egypt, you must have pickles. Or you could even put it in your sandwich as well. M. Oh man, that’s like a dill pickle. Sour, briny, salty, but like vinegary. It just cuts that that richness of the fried seafood. Oh, that would be good to add a pickle directly to it so that you get it all in one bite. Outstanding. We’ve had some incredible sandwiches in Alexandria, but this is definitely one of the best. It’s been nine full days, maybe 10 days in Egypt from Asan to Luxor to Cairo to Alexandria. And we fly out tomorrow. And so it’s actually this is the final meal that we’re going to be eating these shrimp sandwiches. But it’s been a unbelievable trip, an education of Egyptian food, eating some of the probably some of the best restaurants in Egypt and so grateful to Abanoo for taking us around and his passion for food. Thank you, Abanoo. Thank you for coming. I really enjoyed my time and hope to see you here again. Yes, I hope to come back again soon. Thank you. Thank you. And a big thank you to all the amazing Egyptian people also for the friendliness and hospitality. It’s been a awesome trip, man. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Abanoo. Finished with that sandwich and then came back to the hotel late last night and just passed out. But this morning we are driving directly to Cairo and directly to the airport where we have our flight out. And so yeah, it’s been a Egyptian trip of a lifetime. You’ll definitely have some challenges when you visit Egypt, but then at the same time, the food, the history, it’s just mind-blowing. When you think back, it’s unparalleled. And this has been the Egyptian food trip of a lifetime. If you watched this entire documentary, I want to say a huge thank you for making it this far. And stay tuned. There’s going to be more countries, more documentaries, and a lot more food.

Egyptian street food is amazing! Also check out: https://youtu.be/pyWZXA57VS8?si=62V7vaz4vAHFALlA

Egypt is a food paradise and in this full documentary we are traveling through Egypt to uncover the best Egyptian street food across the country – from Cairo to Luxor to Aswan to Alexandria – get ready for the great Egyptian food ever!

We’ll eat some Egyptian dishes that are probably familiar to you, like koshary, ful medames and kofta. But we’ll also go deep into Egypt’s incredible culture and eat everything from claypot tagines, mulukhiyah (molokhiyya), and the king of all kebabs.

Watch the full Egypt food series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrNQ9xuYVM&list=PL5E204DE4DEF02AD7&index=2

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