ediblegarnish: meshi meshi

pc. Emily

I found a new obsession in Egypt, and it is mahshi.

Holy crap these little poppers were addicting, and since they were smol, I felt entitled to eat dozens with no consequence. Nancy's family prepared a couple platters of bebe eggplants, bebe zucchinis, and bebe peppers that looked like tiny bell peppers but tasted closer to shishitos - oh ma god I was obsessed. They were stuffed with rice that was seasoned with tomato, dill, parsley, cumin, cinnamon... I hope I got it all because I want to make a giant batch to keep in the freezer stash.

If I capped the tops back on after stuffing the veggies - does that make it a dumpling? Debate.

Our welcome and chill light snack before dinner were little cucumber sammiches with this cheese spread, which was described to me as similar to feta.

I was the only one who felt like it reminded me of jiangdoufu.

Necessary lunch pitstop at this random restaurant with a giant event venue-like outdoor space between pyramid sightseeing and museum-going, where we were greeted by a woman sampling her fresh pitas.

I'm always sus of tour-lead food establishments, and I'm frequently sus of buffets, but this place had some great bites. Roasted eggplants and babaganoush, potato soup thing, hummus/tahini, more mahshi, and this addictive rice and vermicelli aka roz bil shareya.

The falafels were lighter and fluffier.

And the meat entrees of perfectly charred chicken and tender koftas came on these mini charcoal grills that you could smell as you walked into the shaded banquet area.

pc. Emily

Most interesting veg goes to molokhia, which was described to us as slimy like lady fingers (aka okra).

This unassuming leafy green which kind of looks like mint is usually prepared as a soup.

A goopy soup that was beyond control.. or at least my control. I was trying to drape it over my pile of rice in an aesthetic fashion, but it slipped off the ladle and pooled off to the side instead. It ate more like a sauce/curry for the rice than a soup, which I enjoyed.

Also apparently breaded and fried kofta is my new favorite way of eating kofta.

I did not grow up with this rice pudding like everyone else did, but oh my god one spoonful actually took me back to some manufactured memories of cozy, lazy after school hangs. The texture was smoother, creamier, more set than any rice pudding I've had. Topped with golden raisins and coconut - this is giving me ideas.

Babaganoush, I know. Babaganoush, I'll eat at any opportunity. This faba bean dip (foul mudammas) was a new familiar thing. Definitely not a stretch because I'll tuck into anything with blended legumes - this variety was my favorite particularly for the pile of crispy shallots on top.

One of the group's agreed upon favorite meals was this fast food joint. Do I remember the name? Absolutely not. Was the chicken shish tawook bowl with grilled peppers, fried pita pieces, pickles, tahini, and garlic sauce the best thing I've eaten out of a paper bucket I've ever eaten? I don't know but it's possible. Put this under the category of "dangerous if it were within walking distance of my home."

Also inspiring was this dessert sampler platter that we got at like 10 or 11p aka way past my bedtime and wayyyy past the time for my sweet tooth. But people in Cairo are night owls apparently, and I nibbled my way through all of the options to find a favorite. Pistachios are always a winner, but this thing that was some sort of neutral firm cheese sandwiched between baklava layers was my favorite. It was like eating honey halloumi wrapped in pastry. Throw some pistachios on that and you've got... my next weekend project?

On a horse carriage ride around the city was when I realized I guess I've never had fresh sugarcane juice before. Probably not in my top 5 juices of choice (I drank enough fresh mango juice to confuse my intestines I'm sure) because I don't like anything too sweet without tart to balance.