Serve warm with the garnishes arranged on a platter. Chelsea Green Publishing. Here is a taste of what the average — and slightly less average — ancient Egyptian would have eaten. Islam is the majority religion in Egypt, and while observant Muslims tend to avoid the consumption of alcohol, it is readily available in the country. In Cairo, Egypt, a young vendor pushes sugarcane stalks through a commercial juice extractor. The Nile flows north to the Mediterranean. Upper Class: They ate meat and drank milk.
Ancient Egyptians ate extremely well compared to people in other ancient civilisations of the world. The Nile River provided water for livestock and kept the land fertile for crops. In a good season, the fields of Egypt could feed every person in the country abundantly and still have enough to store for leaner times. Much of what we know about how ancient Egyptians ate and drank comes from artworks on tomb walls, which show the growing, hunting and preparation of food.
Archeological discoveries have told us much about how ancient Egyptians worshiped, celebrated and mourned. But these scientific finds have also provided tantalizing clues about how—and what—this complex civilization ate. Bread and beer were the two staples of the Egyptian diet. Everyone from the highest priest to the lowliest laborer would eat these two foods every day, although the quality of the foods for the priest would undoubtedly be higher. The main grain cultivated in Egypt was emmer. Brewers crumbled the bread into vats and let it ferment naturally in water. This yielded a thick and cloudy brew that would probably disgust our modern palates. But it was also nourishing and healthy, and filled in many nutritive deficiencies of the lower-class diet. But ancient Egyptians did not survive on carbohydrates alone: Hunters could capture a variety of wild game, including hippos, gazelles, cranes as well as smaller species such as hedgehogs.
Egypt in detail. Compared to the highly regarded regional cuisines of Lebanon, Turkey and Iran, Egyptian food is more like fresh, honest peasant fare. Pulses are served stewed for breakfast, lunch or dinner, as a soup or fried in patties as ta’amiyya Egyptian falafel. Egyptians love lamb kebabs, grilled chicken, pigeon and kofta spiced mincemeat patties grilled on a skewer, while fish comes from the Mediterranean and Red Seas, and the Nile. Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and the Red Sea resort towns have a wide variety of eating options. Away from the main centres, choices are more limited. Egyptian meals typically centre on stews and vegetables. Egyptian specialities include the love-it-or-hate-it molokhiyya garlicky leaf soup, hamam pigeon and mahshi stuffed vegetables.