The three of us, under the leadership of Uncle Ah San, in addition to seeing local architectural attractions and buying things, also tasted the local food by the way. The old ghost and I really weren't interested, and we wanted to go back as soon as we finished buying things. But I can't stand Qian Cheng's soft grinding and hard bubbles, so I have to take a look by the way.

Because some of the things we buy are not immediately available, we have to wait. So, with a lot of free time, we walked down again and again, and almost tasted everything that should be tasted. Of course, these expenses are paid for by the old ghosts.

There are some luxurious storefronts that we don't even dare to enter. But the old ghost is diametrically opposed to the original disagreement, and he is generous, and he has something delicious. According to his words, live in the moment! Otherwise, maybe one day I will be gone, and I will never be able to enjoy the delicious food of the world again.

In this way, we stuck to his light and feasted on it. Here are a few local delicacies worth mentioning:

The first choice is the tender whole sheep!

Roasted whole lamb is a major dish in Egypt and Arab countries, and is the most precious delicacy served at wedding banquets and entertaining guests.

According to Uncle Asan, the method of making zuò is to smear the whole body of the slaughtered and washed lamb with spices, dip it in seasonings, stuff the belly with rice, pine nuts, almonds, etc., and then bake it in a large oven for several hours. After roasting, take out the whole lamb and lie it on its stomach in the center of the large plate, then remove the rice and nuts from the belly and place them around.

When the whole dish comes out of the pot, the overflowing aroma and crispy lamb are mouth-watering. At the table, the chef is the chef. Cut on the spot and sandwich the meat into our respective plates. After just one bite, the crispy taste on the outside and tender on the inside will immediately let you know what the real "delicious taste in the world" is.

Uncle Ah San said that when they Egyptians ate it, they often tore large pieces of mutton and chewed it. Or use the five fingers of your right hand to knead the rice and lamb into small balls and stuff them into your mouth. Because, only in this way can it taste good. So we did, well, what a taste!

Because it is reminiscent of Chinese hand-fingered mutton. I even doubt it. Is it better to eat mutton with your hands?

The second dish is the "national dish" - broad beans.

Fava beans are the "national dish" of Egypt and are one of the most consumed foods by people. There are many ways to eat broad beans, and there are 4 most common types, stewed broad beans, fried broad bean cakes, stewed broad beans and braised bean sprouts.

Braised broad beans are the most common side dish with a strong spicy flavor. The method of making zuò is also simple: clean the broad beans and put them in a pot. Add an appropriate amount of water. Add the garlic and onion. Stir and steam overnight over a simmer.

To serve, add fresh lemon juice, olive oil, cream or butter and green cilantro leaves. Sometimes it is mashed and mixed with milk and boiled eggs.

Egyptian stewed broad beans and milk are almost indispensable foods for Egyptian breakfast. Especially in winter and Ramadan, it is more popular.

The deep-fried fava bean cake is also famous, and the Egyptians call it "Taamiyah".

The method is: soak the broad beans overnight, mash them in a mortar, add crushed parsley (the stems and leaves are like celery, but there is no strong smell), shallots, garlic and dried mint; You can also add some leeks and stir well, and fry until dark yellow, charred on the outside and tender on the inside. If you add some minced meat to the cake and fry it in cream, the taste will be even more delicious.

Stewed broad beans, the Egyptians called it "Pizza". The method is somewhat similar to deep-fried broad beans: soak the broad beans overnight, then add brocade leaves, a small amount of garlic and mint, put them in a pot with an appropriate amount of water, stew them and put them on a plate, and then add cream and fried shallots on top to eat.

The method of braising bean sprouts is to soak broad beans out of sprouts, and then add salt and seasonings to simmer. Some people stew it with tomatoes, while others stir-fry it with cream and Egyptian beet leaves.

In addition, there are also methods such as dry fried broad beans and raw green broad beans, so I will not repeat them one by one. It is not only one of the main dishes on the table, but it is also often found in folk songs, aphorisms, proverbs.

As for broad beans, it really is one of the favorite foods of the Egyptians. Because from the bits and pieces of life, it can be seen:

An Egyptian proverb says: "He is like an overnight cold broad bean without salt and oil". The implication is that it is bland and boring.

There is a local Egyptian adage: "Every moth-eaten broad bean has its own owner." It means: "One product has one master", each with its own hobbies. When a ploy is revealed, people often say, "I understand this broad bean!" Someone said, "Don't play with me!" ”。 It means: "Don't make fun of me for being a fool." ”

Next is the mallow soup:

Malvacea, is a plant of the Malvaceae family that grows on the banks of the Nile River. This flower is very beautiful and is both ornamental and a great edible plant. Egyptians are very fond of mallow soup.

In Arabic, mallow soup is called "Muru sunspot", and its method is: wash and dry its leaves, then crush the leaves, and cook the soup with mutton, chicken, rice, etc., the cooked mallow soup is thick and green and slimy, and the taste is delicious.

The natural fragrance and rich essence of the soup stimulate the taste buds. A few of us didn't control it for a while, and we all drank with big bellies and round waists.

Uncle Ah San said that there is an interesting theory about mallow soup: the mallow soup made by Egyptian women is much better than that made by male chefs. Because after making mallow soup, women always like to put cream roasted garlic, and this creamy roasted garlic is the "secret" that makes it extra delicious.

It is also possible to break it up and braise it with cream until it is dry, and then it is mashed and eaten.

After tasting the above three dishes, we almost broke our bellies! In order to digest our appetite, we continued to wander through the bazaars in Cairo.

While digesting the meal, I thought I would be able to buy some local items and utensils. The old ghost and I each bought a short knife. This short knife is beautifully crafted and has a sharp edge, which can be used as an ornament as well as for cutting things. The old ghost and I liked this knife at first sight. Unconditional Like!

I probably thought that I walked a lot and ate quickly. It's late afternoon. Under the recommendation of Uncle Ah San, we couldn't control our mouths and tasted two or three local snacks. However, these things can be tasted on the street.

Qian Cheng and I couldn't help but wonder: Could this Egyptian old Ah San be the master who came out to cheat and eat and drink? Dare to love him, he regarded a few of us as "wronged leaders". Looking at his posture, he is going to die and eat! But the old ghost is "stupid and has a lot of money", so he doesn't mind very much, and the money is not given to him. Besides, we did taste the food.

Since the person who paid for it thinks so, what do we have to say? So I didn't say anything more. I thought, it's a pity that this old Ah San doesn't be a tour guide. Or or. Maybe he's a professional tour guide. Just the guy who introduced us to it. It is the nursery that I put together with him.

Come to think of it, you still have to eat something. It's rare for someone to pay for a treat, but my heart is the same as an old ghost: maybe I will eat this meal and never have a chance next time.

There is a food called "Kausherley". On the streets of Cairo. "Kauschery" shops can be found everywhere. "Kausheli" is unique to Egypt. This snack is available from the southern part of the Nile Delta to Luxor.

When eating. Add the right amount of vinegar and hot sauce to the seasoning according to personal preference. After adding the seasoning, the "Cowshelly" becomes "sour and spicy". As for the flavor of the seasoning you want to eat, you can make it according to the person. You can also have people add some fried shallots and peas, etc. The taste of shallots is very good.

You can put a lot of condiments on the "Cowsherley" and take it out of the store to eat. Try a few more times and you'll be able to find a way to eat that suits you.

The tastes of the four of us are different, and the way of eating is naturally different. According to my personal opinion, it is better to put more kofut sausages. Because it goes well with tomato juice, it tastes like Egyptian-style macaroni with meat sauce.

Speaking of this street fast food, I have to say "Egyptian flatbread".

The flatbread, which the Egyptians called "Ohi", means "life, life". It is made by fermenting flour with salt and water and baking it in a flat shape. When I see this kind of flatbread, it reminds me of the naan cake in Xinjiang. It is impossible to say if there is any connection between the two.

Egypt has been making zuò flatbread for thousands of years, and inhabitants must eat three meals a day without flatbread or bread. Generally, the bakery has a small façade with a counter facing the sidewalk. Behind the counter is an oven, which is sold while baking. This is very similar to the naan and baked cake stores that Chinese eat.

Standing at the counter, people can see the red fire, and when the salesperson takes the flatbread from the oven and pours it on the table, customers can buy it while it is hot. Hot, fragrant flatbread and bread have a tempting fragrance, and some people can't help but take them and eat them while paying for them.

The price of the flatbread is very low, at only RMB 0.12, and each weighs about 150 grams. Tourists can buy this flatbread everywhere in Egypt.

If you are concerned about the hygiene of flatbread, then you can also opt for a fast food restaurant. There are many large and small Arabic restaurants in Cairo, as well as Western-style fast food restaurants with the word "wimpi" written on the door. Most of them are well decorated, business is booming, and the sanitary conditions are relatively good.

The perfect match for this "Egyptian flatbread" is the electric roast lamb.

The Egyptians preferred red and white meat (red meat refers to the meat of cattle, sheep, and camels, while white meat refers to meat such as poultry). Except for electrically grilled lamb, Egyptians rarely eat fish, shrimp and other seafoods.

As for the cooking methods of red and white meat, it is usually divided into barbecue and stew, and roast pigeon and roast lamb are the best dishes.

In Cairo's street food bars and large receptions, a U-shaped pole-shaped electric grill is often erected. In the middle of this electric oven is a long metal stick, on which fresh lamb is wrapped to form a thick column of meat. The metal rod rotated slowly, and the oil and water dripped and "creaked" from time to time. Before the meat is baked, the meat aroma is already "meaty".

During roasting, the chef will stand aside and use a long, sharp knife to cut off the outer layer of roasted lamb and place it on a plate. On the other plate, there are small round cakes that have been cut. The chef stuffs the lamb into the cake and adds some finely chopped onions, tomatoes, etc. Then poured with seasoning, it becomes a fast food sandwich meatloaf, which is a bit like Peking duck.

The warm cake and the tender lean lamb are very fragrant and delicious. It is said that this method of grilling originated from the ancient tradition of roasting meat without a pot on the battlefield, and soldiers used war knives to carry the meat to barbecue. From this point of view, many food cultures are created in special circumstances, unintentionally or forcedly.

In addition to the three courses and flavored snacks mentioned above, Egyptians also prefer to eat raw vegetables.

For example, onions, green onions, green peppers, lettuce, etc., are often washed and served directly on the table, and seasonings such as olives and fresh lemon juice are added. Lemon juice is an indispensable condiment to fish, and onions, lettuce and "gilgil" are ancient Egyptian vegetables.

According to Uncle Ah San, onions played a very important role in the treatment of diarrhea in ancient times for migrant workers who built pyramids. Egyptian lettuce is not like the round ball sold in our vegetable market, it is large, long leaves, crisp and tender, and some people even eat it as a fruit.

The stems and leaves of "Gilgil" are relatively small, and they resemble wild vegetables. The taste is slightly bitter and can be eaten raw or made as kimchi.

Interestingly, lettuce and "gilgil" were offered to the goddess of fertility on ancient Egyptian murals. They are said to have the effect of promoting male fertility, especially "Gilgil", which is especially favored by Egyptian men.

Uncle Ah San's words were energetic, and Qian Chengcheng didn't even turn a corner, so he translated it. I don't know if Uncle Ah San really said this, or if Qian Cheng was talking nonsense. In short, judging from Qian Cheng's expression, it doesn't look like a fake.

When the old ghost heard this, he hurriedly took over the conversation and said, "Yo, dare to love this is still 'aphrodisiac/yang grass'?" Hey, I said, is this the same as Chinese leeks or kinky/goat weed? Haha......"

Hearing the old ghost's question, the three of us all leaned forward and leaned back with laughter. What's the hell with this? The old ghost, this grandson, is really capable of spraying, and he even thought of this! Uncle Ah San, seeing the two of us laughing like this, looked like he didn't know why. Hurriedly asked Qian Cheng, what are we laughing at?

Qian Chengcheng translated it with Uncle Ah San, and told him the meaning of the old ghost in a twist. Uncle Ah San immediately laughed, gave the old ghost a thumbs up, and said, "Yes, yes!" ”。 Basically, that's what it means.

When we heard that this lettuce and "Gilgil" had this effect, we immediately asked for two more. Everyone is a big man, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. When the old ghost heard that it was a good thing, he immediately "gobbled it up", for fear that someone would rob him of it, or eat less than others.

I saw the old ghost's eating appearance, so I hurriedly said: "You eat less, just like you eat, there will be internal fire!" (To be continued......)