Egypt's traditional recipes get a makeover
Ambitious restaurant owners give traditional dishes a makeover and often give them English names, while traditionalists simmer in anger over the degeneration of gastronomic heritage of Egypt's traditional dishes.
Koshari, one of Egypt’s national dishes, is often claimed to be a vegetarian's dream. Made of rice, macaroni, lentils, chickpeas, crispy fried onions and topped with tomato sauce, it has provided an affordable option for a filling meal for centuries.
Then it got a makeover.
During its opening six years ago, Shadi Srour’s small shop offered its customers the traditional Koshari dish. A year later, Srour wanted to beat the competition by innovating the recipe, so he added another Egyptian traditional street food: shawarma. Shawarma, known also as doner kebab, is made with meat placed on a rotating spit and its shavings are served often in pita bread.
"We added shawarma to koshari to increase its appeal to young customers who like to try new dishes," Srour, the owner of Kosharina Restaurant, told Al-Monitor. “We took the recipe to another level.”
