Koshary – Egyptian food

Koshari is a popular Egyptian street food made from lentils, rice, vermicelli, macaroni and chickpeas with crunchy fried onions. Koshari is commonly served with as many as three different dressings: a tomato sauce, a local hot sauce called shatta, and a garlicky, vinegar-based dressing called da’ah.

Egypt’s koshary belongs to the trio of staple national foods, along with fuul (aka fava beans) and taamiya (aka falafel: grounded and fried fava beans.)

Traditional koshari uses white pasta, but a healthier alternative is whole wheat pasta. The addition of pasta and tomato sauce to koshari was a testament to the considerable influence of the Italian communities in Cairo and Alexandria at the time, which infused everything from the local diet to its dialect.

Ibn Battuta, the renowned Muslim traveler of the14th century, was the first person to mention Koshari in his book "A Gift to those who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling."

Koshary is a good source of multi-grain carbohydrates and protein. Koshary differs from shop to shop, but in terms of average estimates a small plate has around 200 calories, around 300-500 for a medium-large sized plate, and well over 1000 calories for the super-extra-large sizes.
Koshary – Egyptian food