where bread is life and life is about getting bread !
What is your staple food?
If I were to ask you this question, you may immediately think of what is the popular food.
In England, probably curry!
In America, possibly pizza and ice-cream.
In South Africa probably boerewors?
But here in Egypt, there is a food that is a true staple:
- A basic dietary item
- the pre-dominant daily item
- An constituent in any meal
- and an integral part of life
is BREAD
Interestingly, the Arabic word for bread aish is similar to the word to live. Bread is life!
What type of bread is this?
Well, in this country, nowadays, you can get bread which is what we would call normal. It comes delivered in a small van, is in a packet, is pre-sliced and is referred to by the locals as toast bread. This is a very different type of bread to what they call bread!
Shammy bread:
This is what Egyptians love, and no meal is complete without it. The look, ingredients and size may vary depending on where it is made. But in the cities, there are 2 main options:
- a government bakery, normally found in the local souq (market). You usually find this by following your nose: that wonderful permeating smell of fresh bread. That and the teeming mass of agitated people, yelling and gesticulating to the bakers (behind bars) who are taking orders from the people. Shams is the Arabic word for sun. Shammy bread is round and nice and hot as it comes from the baker. This bread is subsidised and purchased by the load, literally! The bread is then carted off in bags, cardboard boxes, on pallets balanced on heads or on trays. But there is a trick: the bread needs to be cooled off individually, separated, before they are packed, or else they get damp and sticky. So on any surface near the bakery: pavement, table, tram seats, station, you will find these breads laid out to cool down. Once they have cooled sufficiently, they will be packed up and taken home. This process happens usually twice a day, and an average family of 6 will eat 36 per day! 2 at each meal per person. Glorious!
- A private bakery: this is not the patisserie kind of bakery, as it only does breads. They will have
large ovens inside, and then usually on the pavement a gas-type pizza oven, where
they quick bake these breads. They are more expensive than the government variety,
but the flour is considered to be better (as in more refined), and there are no queues.
The eating of it…
The bread is normally served up with breakfast, with fuul beans and perhaps falafal. It will accompany the lunch , which could be chicken or fish with rice and salad. And of course, there will be bread with dinner. This is usually something light, like eggs, cheese and fruit. You grab a shammy, tear off a piece, and then usually use it as a spoon to pick up a portion of whatever the food is. Many foreigners make a sandwich of it!
But with meat, cheese, salad or on its own, Egyptian balady bread (local bread) t is wonderful! And you will be expected to eat quite a lot of it. So as you enjoy the warm, chewy taste, remember that this is the Staple food here!
It brings light to their eyes, and if you enjoy it, you will gain the love of the local people:
Love us… love our bread!