How to Get an Egyptian Breakfast : Part One

Introduction

We know you guys like to eat Egyptian food.

And we don’t blame you.Things like koshary, mahshee, and shawerma are enough to make anybody put on a few pounds (or kilos).

https://cleolingo.com/how-to-order-egyptian-koshary/

https://cleolingo.com/how-to-order-egyptian-shawerma/

But there’s something charming about Egyptian breakfast.

It’s quick, easy, and dare we say, delicious.

Today, Cleo Lingo will be explaining…..how to get an Egyptian breakfast.

Vocabulary

Today’s post is going to be a bit shorter.

You’ve already learned how to order a bunch of food, as well as some necessary phrases at restaurants.

https://cleolingo.com/how-to-order-at-a-restaurant-like-you-havent-eaten-for-days/

So today, we’ll hook you up with some breakfast vocab, make a few suggestions, and then let you fly on your own.

We believe in you.

So here you have it: the most common “need to know” foods for an Egyptian breakfast.

Beans : “Fool”

فول

Don’t hate us for not already telling you, but Egyptians love their beans. We’ll be doing a special post on this.

Falafel : “Taw’MAYuh / fuhLEHfull”

طعمية / فلافل

“Falafel” is the way most Arabs say it. It’s also the way those weirdo Egyptians living in Alexandria say it.

If beans are the heart of Egypt, taw’mayuh is the soul.

Cheese : “Gebna”

جبنة

Let’s just say that Egypt isn’t exactly France when it comes to cheese.

Egg/Eggs : “BAYthd/BAYthduh”

بيض

Egyptians also commonly eat tomatoes and cucumbers for breakfast.

In case you forgot (along with all the other fruits and veggies):

Oil : “Zeet”

زيت

Think olive oil on this one.

Salt : “MALh”

ملح

Pepper : “FILLfill”

فلفل

Fun fact, if you are a hipster going to Cairo anytime soon: there is a restaurant/café called “Aish wuh Malh” close to downtown.

It’s hip, the coffee is decent, and it’s got a pretty cool vibe to it.

Check it out.

Are you going to eat breakfast? : “HuhTIFFtar?”

هتفطر؟

Indicating “future” in Egyptian Arabic is quite easy: add an “h” to the verb.

Are you hungry? : “Enta gawEHN?”

انت جعان؟

Do you have (beans / potatoes (french fries)…..here? : “AWNduck (fool / buhTAWtuss) HEHnuh?”

عندك….هنا؟

Remember, there are two different “have’s” in Egyptian Arabic.

Have you eaten or not yet? : “KEHlt WAWluh LISSuh?”

كلت ولا لسه؟

Do you want to drink something? : “EYEizz TEHshrub HAWguh?”

عايز تشرب حاجة؟

Milk with tea. : “SHAY billLUHbun”

شاي بلبن

It’s quite common in Egyptian culture to drink something after breakfast.

Not a tea person? No need to worry:

Cultural Insight

Basically, the Egyptian “go-to” breakfast is beans, some tay’mayuh, a couple of sliced up vegetables, and a fistful of bread.

Actually, Egyptian bread (think “pita bread” if you’ve never been to Egypt before) is pretty much everywhere. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Egyptians like to use their hands, and they like to make all sorts of crazy sandwich combinations.

This is definitely a good thing to know as a foreigner.

Indeed, because of bread’s role in Egyptian culture, it’s quite common to see people walking around with giant bags of the stuff in their hands. Whether that’s old guys in prayer robes, women in burqas, or kids on bicycles, seems like everybody’s got some.

So Cleo Lingo’s cultural immersion tip for the day: if you want to blend in, it’s not enough to walk like an Egyptian. You have to carry a bag of bread too!

Good luck with your deliciously charming Egyptian breakfast. 🙂

…..

Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo