Koshary - The Egyptian Food You Can't Change

So one of the most popular street food dishes in Egypt is called Koshary. Before you ask, it is kosher, but it has nothing to do with the name. Actually some think the original came from India, perhaps because Kitchri sounds similar and the story of British occupation troops bringing it to the land of the Pharaohs, then Egyptians adding pasta because of the Italian influence, plus a few more things, well it makes for a good story.

But the changes have been small. I think chickpeas or hommos beans were added in the last 50 years sometime. But strangely, there is an expectation to have this multi-layered dish remain with its main ingredients: rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, salsa sauce, and crispy fried onions. It is almost sacred, I guess how Napoltaneans wanted to keep pizza 100 years ago.

This was kind of followed for decades, but with the diaspora of Egyptians all over the world assimilating to the modern kitchen that fuses all kinds of foods, this did not last.

In 2016, several koshary places popped up around the world for the first time. And to accommodate the international peoples living in these metropolitan areas, koshary was finally adapted in defiance!

I started a restaurant in Berlin called Kairo Koshary, a food truck, specializing in only Koshary and some variations I made that I knew would be in demand in this city of conscientious eaters full of vegans etc. So I added a Moroccan version that is sweet and salty, or a Californian one with avocado and quinoa, and even something with olives and feta cheese. I crossed the red line and faced the barrage of baffled Egyptians. They refused to try but sooner or later gave in. Now they're hooked.

After decades or more than 100 years, change is finally upon us, with koshary, not military dictatorships.