Vegetarian/Vegan Dining in Egypt

Hi All,
Sometimes I hear that people are interested in travelling to particular places but they hesitate going because of the presumed lack of veggie-friendly dining options.

This past February I travelled to Egypt for a 10 day vacation. My journey started out as a 5 night Nile River cruise from Aswan in southern Egypt (30 miles from Sudan border) to Luxor in central Egypt. Then my tour group flew to Cairo for the last leg of our sightseeing.

On the cruise ship, much to my surprise there were several food options. Some of the staff did speak a little English. However, to be on the safe side I asked my tour guide to inquire from the chef as to what items were indeed vegan. There were salads of course. One of my favorite dishes was fava beans. The buffet included several veggies. Then there was the pita bread. I can't say enough about the tasty pita bread in Egypt! Its 1000 times better than the version we eat in the USA. It was like eating potato chips, you wanted one after another. :)

As the ship docked in various ports, we sometimes ate at local restaurants, in addition to onboard dining. One restaurant that stood out had a vegan tangine of vegatables in a tomato sauce. Then they spread out various dishes of hummus, baba gannoush, olives, and other spreads. There was an open-fire clay oven producing warm, soft pita bread one after another. Heavenly!

One evening in central Luxor, my tour group stayed at a large, elegant hotel. Their main restaurant had vegan options, incuding that popular veggie tangine with tomato sauce.
Luxor is also known for its wonderful local spice market. I stopped at one in one of the alleyways near the main street (recommended by my local tour guide). I purchased about 15 to 20 spices & herbs, i addition to local Hibiscus leaves for tea. All of the spices were from Egypt and other parts of Africa. When I arrived home, I did a google search for Egyptian and Middle Eastern recipes. I have been using my spices and herbs ever since, in soups, vegan entrees and stir fries. The dried Hibiscus leaves make a wonderfully potent tea which you can sweeten with vegan sugar.

In Cairo itself, I had a similar dining experience. The restaurants main staples are those hummus, various spreads and warm pita bread. The restaurant also was able to make a vegan tagine of vegetables for me, as a moment's notice.

Again, I was very pleased with the veggie-friendly dining options in Cairo.

Sightseeing was phenomenal! In southern Aswan, we toured the many temples. In central Luxor, we visited Valley Of The Kings and Queens and went underground to see the tombs. We even saw King Tut himself. The Valley visits are definitely worth the trip as the hierogylphics underground still contain rich, vibrant colors. Finally in Cairo, must-sees are the pyramids(spend an extra $5 to go inside for a once-in-a-lifetime experience but only if you are not claustrophobic), the sphinx, and the huge Egyptian Museum. Along the way, there are so many other options. I recommend a visit to an Egyptian carpet-making factory(you can practice weaving with the staff), a perfume/essence factory(purchase essences for poor memory, sinusitis, stress, etc), a papyrus paper factory, and a visit to the oldest Pyramid "the Step Pyramid".

I completely enjoyed my sightseeing and dining experiences in Egypt!