What do Egyptians have for breakfast? Can you order your breakfast in Egyptian Arabic? Yomna’s here to help!
áhlan! أهْلاً Welcome!
As you are staying for a while in Egypt, you should have nice fiʈār máʂri فِطار مصْري Egyptian breakfast for yourself. You can have it two ways: either by eating it ready-made at a máʈ3am مطْعم restaurant or by buying the ingredients and making it yourself at home.
The most famous Egyptian breakfast is fūl wi ʈa3míyya فول و طعْمية beans and falafel, with some mixállil مِخلِّل pickles and bidingān máʔli باذِنْجان مقْلي fried eggplant. And of course, you can add bēɖ maslūʔ بيْض مسْلوق boiled eggs and gíbna جِبْنة cheese if you wish.
You can easily tell an Egyptian breakfast restaurant by the crowd found in it early in the morning. You will enter the place and ask the cashier for a sandiwítšə fūl bi-ʈʈaɧiina سنْدِوِتْش فول بِالطّحينة beans sandwich with tahini, or falafel sandwich with itnēn sandiwítšə ʈa3míyya bi-ʂʂalaTa wi -ʈʈaɧína اِتْنيْن سنْدِوِتْش طعْمية بِالسّلطة والطّحينة salad and tahini and mixállil مِخلِّل pickles.
And you may ask for any of the following, too:
- bāba ɣanūg بابا غنوج baba ghanoush (which is tahini with eggplant)
- misaʔʔá3a مِسقّعه moussaka (eggplant, potatoes, green pepper, tomato with garlic and vinegar)
- baʈāʈis maʔlíyya بطاطِس مقْلية fried potatoes
- bidingān máʔli باذِنْجان مقْلة fried eggplant
This is a very strong breakfast and surely you’ll need a drink after it. You then may have any cold soda drink from any kiosk, or enter a local café and take a cup of tea with šāy bi-nni3nā3 شاي بِالنِّعْناع mint.
If you prefer to have breakfast at home, then you may go to that same restaurant and buy bi-gnēh fūl miɧáwwig بِجْنيْه فول مِحوِّج a one-pound worth of spiced beans and bi-gnēh ʈa3míyya بِجْنيْه طعْمية one-pound worth of falafel, or any of the food mentioned above. And don’t forget to buy xámas t-irɣífa خمس إرْغِفة five loaves of bread.
Then you can go to the grocery store and get bēɖtēn بيْضْتيْن two eggs and túmun kílu gíbna bēɖa تُمُن كيلو جِبْنة بيْضا one-eighth kilo of white cheese or gíbna rūmi جِبْنة رومي Romy cheese.
I guess that’s enough now for a morning recharge. bi-lhána بِالهنا Bon appétit!
