NILE RIVER CONNECTIONS

Connecting People    –    Understanding Cultures    –    Experiencing History

NILE RIVER
CONNECTIONS

Connecting People

Understanding Cultures

Experiencing History

Food cart

Breakfast to Go

How many times have you heard it said that, ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day?’. In Egypt, breakfast is not to be taken lightly. You won’t usually find many Egyptians simply throwing some cereal in a bowl, adding milk and wolfing it down. Nor do they eat a quick yoghurt and a piece of fruit.

Main items

Breakfast is a glorious meal, if you eat the traditional breakfast of:
• Fuul (beans)
• Falafel
• Eggs
• Bread
• And salad.
Now some people prefer to cook and prepare there own at home, but many will simply pop out to the nearest breakfast cart. At these carts you can get a quick breakfast to go, and then walk briskly back to your own home to eat it with your family.

Who comes to buy?

It is usually the men who will come out to the street to these glorious breakfast carts. Some will come still in their pyjamas, some will arrive in their cars on the way to work, some will come with their own bowls, and some will simply stand at the food cart and eat there. People will usually have their favourite breakfast cart, and indeed some people will travel to another neighbourhood just to get their favourite breakfast provider.

What is on the breakfast cart?

These carts are usually odd wooden carts, that have been brightly painted. They have large wheels and look very cheerful. They can be attached to a horse, pushed, or even connected to a bicycle to be moved around.
Around one side of the cart is usually a small shelf, shoulder height, where you can stand and eat, chatting to your fellow cart-restaurant diners!
On the opposite side is usually the dishing up side. There is usually a large, silver, small necked pot, in which the fuul (beans) has been simmering for hours. This can be dished up in a small plastic bag, or put in a sandwich, poured into a personal bowl (if you are taking it home) or dished up onto a plate (if you are eating at the cart).
There are usually some boiled eggs, falafel ready made, bread and some mixed salad, each added according to your personal preference. Oil, salt, spices and chilly can be added to taste.

Quality food and value for money

Many visitors are frightened at the idea of street food. And indeed some have better cleanliness standards than others.

But ask a few local people for the location of the best breakfast cart, and they will show you! Then pop across one morning, for the quickest, freshest, cheapest and filling breakfast I think you will ever have had!