Understanding Egypt is a series about Egyptian culture and traditions. I will try my best to explain the Egyptian way of thinking about different aspects of life that are usually different (or not) from Western and other cultures. If you have any questions or points you need elaborated please contact me through the comments sections or through the contact me page.
Food
This is the first post in the Understanding Egypt category. In this post I will try to explain the culture and traditions behind Egyptian food.
No, I will not talk about the local cuisine nor will I give the recipes to my favorite menus, simply because I don’t know the recipes, I am the worst person to be put in a kitchen to cook
I want to, however, explain something that I haven’t seen in any other country. Egyptians love to eat together! But that is human nature you might say, humans tend to like living – and especially eating – in groups. But to an Egyptian this has a deep meaning…
Egyptians love to share their food, no matter how little it was. Heck, the less food an Egyptian has, the more you will hear them offering everyone passing by to come and join them. “A good bite is good for one hundred” is a well known proverb in Egypt, meaning that this little food I have now will leave us all satisfied if we share it.
Photo by mnadi from Flickr | Cutting 'Feteer' - Egyptian Pie that could be eaten with sweet or salty additives
It is not just out of kindness. Mind you, Egyptians are generally kind and hospitable people, but it also holds another meaning to it.
It is a sign of friendship. Or in other words, sharing food and – not literally – eating from the same plate – or maybe even literally! – means that you two became brothers. An Egyptian will never betray someone that ate with them from the same plate.
And it is not just betrayal in its literal meaning, it is more like: I will have to bail out, stand up for, and help out that person that shared food with me, no matter what. “We ate together” is the only sentence you hear in defense of a stupid/risky action taken by someone to help out someone else.
If you ask me, this is great!
Photo by dlisbona from Flickr | Eating Ful together in a street restaurant
It has also been taken into the slang language of the people, where we would call someone who would betray you or who isn’t a very good friend “he didn’t preserve the food between us”.
And by the way, for the simplicity of Egyptians, we don’t translate the word food in all those proverbs and known expressions to the Arabic word of food. Instead, we call it “bread and salt” because it is the simplest “meal” that even very poor people might be able to have on their table.
Photo by Daniele Muscetta from Flickr | Frying some fresh, hot Falafel
So are you up to joining me for some Falafel now? Are you up for “eating with me from the same plate”?
What if it was this delicious breakfast? I guess it is worth the risks 
Photo by ~W~ from Flickr | Authentic Egyptian Breakfast: Ful, Falafel, Feta cheese with tomatoes and Egyptian Salad - To be Shared!
How does that compare to the eating traditions in other countries? And do you have any questions or misunderstood points about this? Write them down in the comments, I’ll be happy to explain more!
You guys have some of the most amazing food in the world
Love falafels, hummus 
The problem with most Americans from the U.S. is that they’ve been trained to eat in 30 minutes or less or lose their jobs. So there’s never really any enjoyment of a meal above and beyond certain holidays. But in countries like Bulgaria, Mexico, Colombia, Greece, Italy, Egypt…eating is much more than just food. It’s a social gathering.
In 6 years of traveling to and 2.5 years of living in Bulgaria I never once sat down to a meal that was less than two hours in length, other than a handful of times I was out with friends for a quick burger before a movie, and that’s not really a meal. The same thing in Colombia, and here in Mexico: when you eat, whether it’s at home with friends or out in a restaurant, you are there for 2-4 hours on average. Sometimes for as many as 6 hours.
I love the proverb about a good bite being good for a hundred. The social aspect of gathering together to eat has been lost in the frantic “NEED TO EARN MONEY TO PAY MY BILLS!” frenzy of the U.S. and other Western countries. I much prefer the slow-paced style of the aforementioned countries, which it appears Egypt shares as well.
Colombia even has an “unofficial” rule where most workers have a shift that is 8-12, but then they have a 2-3 hour break. Lunch is the most popular meal of the day in Colombia, and the streets of Bogota and other cities are PACKED with people for lunch-time, and it’s impossible to find a seat in most restaurants. It’s usually groups of friends and co-workers, enjoying a 2 hour lunch break.
Thanks for the insight into Egyptian culture.
2-3 hour lunch break sounds AMAZING!! I would love to do that if I had a corporate job!
Thanks for the insights about the Colombian culture
Reminds me of when we were in Egypt, not so long ago. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you enjoyed your stay in Egypt Louise and do come back any time
I feel like this social relationship that Egypt has with food is found in all Arab countries actually. Having dealt with many cultures, I find that for Arabs, a meal with friends or family is really just an excuse to hang out and discuss everything from fashion to recent politics. It’s an amazing tradition that should be spread to the rest of the world!
Thanks Mariam, yeah I do believe this kind of eating tradition is shared through out the middle east. And yes, it is very common to discuss politics during meals specially these days
Food, a key component of our culture over the years is associated with many religious and social occasions. With globalization and the invasion of fast food for our world. Traditional meals are struggling to find her a place on the dining table the Egyptian citizen.
That is true, Sameh. I find more and more Egyptians are being amazed and then sucked into the fast food chains, with fewer families still cooking and doing traditional meals.