You are here

‘Quality Egyptian cuisine a rare commodity in Amman’

By Suzanne Gaber - Apr 01,2015 - Last updated at Apr 01,2015

AMMAN — For many Egyptians, food is an integral part of their culture. Koushari stalls line every corner in Cairo and it is rare to find an Egyptian who will not rave about the superiority of Egyptian food.

However, in Jordan, where over 600,000 Egyptians reside according to official figures, many Egyptians said they find it difficult to name one Egyptian restaurant in Amman. 

“I lived in Jordan for most of my youth and never did I go to an Egyptian restaurant,” Walaa Abdel Hady, a former University of Jordan student said. “Living here, I’ve never even had koushari, which is as popular in Egypt as mansaf is in Jordan.”

One of Egypt’s most popular traditional dishes, koushari consists of rice, macaroni and lentils, topped with tomato sauce.

Abdullah Fazi Al Mageed moved to Amman a year ago to save up money before moving back to Egypt, and unlike Abdel Hady, he said he misses Egyptian food dearly.

The problem for Mageed is that the taste of Egyptian cuisine in Amman does not compare to the food in Cairo. 

“Egyptian food, like koushari, is difficult to make,” Mageed said. “Coming from Egypt, I don’t trust just anyone to make koushari for me; it’s never the same as when it’s made at home.” 

Owner of Koushari Al Omdah in Amman Hatem Mohammad Abdel Haq agreed with Mageed, adding that the problem comes from the fact that Egyptians do not have the means to open restaurants in Jordan and Jordanians do not know how to make Egyptian food.

“I am the owner of the restaurant and I am Jordanian,” he said. “My head chef is Egyptian, and I’ve learned how to make koushari and other Egyptian food from him, but most people who know how to make this food in Amman cannot open restaurants.” 

While they may be scarce, there are some in Amman who are known for their Egyptian cooking. 

Mohammed Mutwally, head chef at Mr Koushari in Amman, moved to Jordan to work as a chef specialising in Egyptian food. 

Mutwally still loves Egyptian food after making it at the restaurant every day for over 10 years. 

“I love cooking; it’s what I trained in,” he said. “And I would pick Egyptian food over Jordanian any day.”

Still, Mutwally said many of his costumers are not Egyptian. 

“We see a lot of Jordanians coming in here in addition to visitors from the Gulf, but not a lot of Egyptians,” he said. 

Mutwally believes the reason for this is the cost difference between Egyptian food back home and Egyptian food sold in Amman. 

“The cost of Egyptian food here is so much more expensive than in Cairo because it is so much harder to find,” he said. “It makes it more convenient for Egyptians in Jordan to make their own food at home rather than pay more at a restaurant.” 

However, Abdel Hady, who has recently moved back to Egypt, said even cooking at home was a rare occurrence for her family when they lived in Amman. 

“Sometimes we would cook Egyptian food at home,” she said. “But honestly, we didn’t do it all that much. I have come to love Jordanian food more than Egyptian [cuisine], and now that I am back in Egypt I find myself looking for Jordanian restaurants.” 

up
38 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF