6 Must-Try Breads in Cairo
In Egypt, bread is eaten with every meal and is generally considered the most important part. In other words, it’s a food staple- that means that most people don’t think a meal is complete without some form of bread! Historically, bread has always been baked at home by the women of the family- and it’s largely a communal activity. In modern times, home baking isn’t quite as popular as it once was (at least in Cairo), and that’s where bakeries come in! Balady bread is one of the subsidized foods the government provides for those who need it. We take our bread very seriously and have had major political unrest in the past over shortages.
Egypt boasts a wide variety of local breads with long and significant histories. Cairo (and Alexandria’s) bread scene is a little different because of strong European influences. Many of the breads found in bakeries across the capital are of European origin- but with a significant Egyptian twist! Which makes things quite interesting. Here are 5 breads we recommend you try on your next trip to Cairo. Pick up some white cheese, roomy cheese, halawa- and get to snacking!
Balady Bread
Balady bread is the king of Egyptian breads in Cairo. The word “balady” literally translates to “my country”, but we use it to say: of the land, rural, Egyptian, and authentic. This bread is a pocket loaf, perfect for sandwiches, and even better for scooping foods and mopping up sauces. It is by far the most popular bread in Egypt and is versatile enough to be eaten at every meal. What makes this bread so special is its two textures: the top part of this pocket bread is thin and when heated can become crispy, which is great for scooping and pinching morsels of food. The bottom part is thicker and more textured, ideal for absorbing sauces. It’s base is coated heavily in wheat bran, so it leaves a trace wherever it goes. This bread is eaten for its great taste, but also used as a utensil to pick up food. Ideally, balady bread is heated on an open flame- never eaten at room temperature, if it can be avoided, giving it a slight smokey flavor and crisp texture. You can find balady bread at any supermarket, and most bakeries.
Shamy Bread
Guillaume Paumier, CC BY 3.0
Shamy bread is similar to balady, just whiter and sweeter! It’s a round pocket bread, with thinner smoother walls, (unlike balady, which is grooved and textured), and made purely of white flour. It is not baked as dark as balady, and doesn’t have any burn spots. Shamy is made very thin or quite thick, depending on its use.
The word “shamy” means “from the Levant”. So it can be assumed that this kind of bread has its origins from the Levant area, that being said- it has been heavily Egyptian-ized to suit our taste. Eaten in a similar way to balady, shamy is used for sandwiches and to grasp bites of food- however it’s not nearly as popular as balady. You can find shamy bread at almost all supermarkets and certain bakeries.
Fino Bread
Fino (pronounced “fee-no”) is the childhood bread of all Egyptians! It’s a sweet, fluffy, soft elongated bread roll that is used for school sandwiches. Children across Cairo eat fino sandwiches at recess everyday, and here are the top fillings: cheese, jam, halawa (known internationally as halva), and cold cuts. Bakeries in residential areas will often bake fino in the evenings, as that is when parents come by to pick up bread for their kid’s school lunches!
It comes in all sorts of sizes, from thinner than a slice of roomy cheese, (that’s pretty thin- think 5cm/2 inches), to thicker than a hotdog bun! Each size has a specific use- thin ones for cheese and sweet fillings, while thicker are used for heartier fillings such as chicken. Fino can be found at all large supermarkets and most bakeries.
Bellies recommend: Kebda Awlad El-Fallah, a popular liver sandwich shop that uses fino bread! This is s common way to serve liver. There are many branches of this restaurant across the country, but this Alexandrian location is the original!
Alexandria’s fino bread, the skinner sibling of Cairo’s fino bread.
Sen Bread
Even when dieting, Egyptians don’t cut out bread! They just swap it out for a healthier version and that’s where sen bread comes in! It’s a high bran bread, with very little actual flour. Its most popular form is a puffed up pocket bread- like pita, but it’s completely hard like a cracker! Chock full of protein and fiber, it’s much more nutrient dense than breads made of white or whole wheat flour. It goes by the name of ” ‘eish regime”, or diet bread (“regime” being the French word for diet). Sen bread usually accompanies any kind of healthy meal instead of balady bread.
Oras
Oras (pronounced : oh-rus) is a traditional rural bread that is part of Egyptian death rituals. Although oras can be eaten at any time, they are closely connected to the tradition of visiting family graves in Egypt. The word oras literally means “disks” or “rounds”, a description of its shape. It is a lightly sweetened soft bread, flavored with aniseed and fennel seed. It can be eaten along with a morning cup of tea, or as a midday snack.
The tradition of visiting family graves on certain days is centuries old, with some claiming it goes all the way back to the Ancient Egyptian period. Specifically the Egyptian tradition of visiting a loved one’s grave 40 days after burial, called “El Arbi’een” (literally meaning “the 40”). It's suggested that this death ritual is related to the 40 days it took for a body to dry out during the mummification process, before being wrapped up and returned to the family for burial. Visiting graves happens during religious holidays and death anniversaries as well.
During these visits, oras are shared in memory of the deceased and given to the grievers as well as others who might be in the cemetery (cemetery keepers, squatters … etc). Fruit and another bread called shoreik (pronounced “shor-ayk”) are also distributed in memory of a loved one. Interested in reading more about the tradition of sharing food and drink in memory of a loved one? Check out our blog post about Egyptian Water Sharing! Oras can be bought at big bakeries where a variety of breads are baked.
Boksomat or Krissini
Boksomat, also sometimes referred to as krissini (coming from the Italian Grissini) are crunchy breadsticks. They range in size from slim to chunky and are generally around 20cms in length. Sometimes they are topped with sesame seeds or nigella seeds, or left plain. They are not to be confused with the savory and buttery baton Sale, another popular Egyptian breadstick, (with French origins).
These neutral and crunchy breadsticks are commonly eaten as a light meal alongside something else. Commonly, they are paired with a salty white cheese, or dipped into a mug of milk tea for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
Boksomat can be found at all large supermarkets, as well as most bakeries that sell a variety of breads. It can get a little confusing if you don’t know what you’re looking for as breadcrumbs and rusks are also called boksomat. If asking a shop attendant for them, indicate with your hands the size of a breadstick for clarity.
Cairo has such a unique collection of breads it’s truely mind boggling! There’s so much to be said and we have barely scratched the surface. Try two of these breads on our Downtown Cairo Food Tour- you’ll eat them in the correct context, the way they’re meant to be eaten!
