What food to eat in Egypt?

[Coolcruise02]

After reading a review on another board about getting sick after eating in Cairo could you make suggestions on "safe" foods to eat. (They think it was ice cream, vegetables or salad)

 

What is a local "must try" food for a visitor?

 

Thanks

[CruisenOne]

After reading a review on another board about getting sick after eating in Cairo could you make suggestions on "safe" foods to eat. (They think it was ice cream, vegetables or salad)

 

Number One -- DO NOT drink the water:eek: Drink bottled water.

Eat foods that are cooked. Nothing raw.

 

 

What is a local "must try" food for a visitor?

We tried several Lamb meals.

 

Thanks

 

Egypt is a great place to visit.

[paul929207]

We spent 2 weeks in Egypt last year on a Grand Circle tour. We only ate at restuarants our guide took us to, on the cruise ship and at the hotels they put us in. We did not have any problem. Also, we only drank bottled water.

[Rosslyn]

After reading a review on another board about getting sick after eating in Cairo could you make suggestions on "safe" foods to eat. (They think it was ice cream, vegetables or salad)

 

What is a local "must try" food for a visitor?

 

Thanks

 

On my recent trip to Cairo, my husband and I were very ,very careful with what we ate - no salad, no water (only bottled), no ice in our drinks. We ate at the hotel, Le Meridien, and at only 1 other venue - and we both got sick. In fact, there were 6 of us and the other 4 stayed at Mena House hotel and ate there and 2 of the 4 got sick as well. I took hand sanitizer and used it religiously. On my next trip, I'll only eat packet potato chips!!

[Amaranthine33]

On my recent trip to Cairo, my husband and I were very ,very careful with what we ate - no salad, no water (only bottled), no ice in our drinks. We ate at the hotel, Le Meridien, and at only 1 other venue - and we both got sick. In fact, there were 6 of us and the other 4 stayed at Mena House hotel and ate there and 2 of the 4 got sick as well. I took hand sanitizer and used it religiously. On my next trip, I'll only eat packet potato chips!!

 

My friends and I ate at Le Meridien for three nights! LOL! We went to the Nubian restaurant twice and then another resturant inside (I forget the name, but we ordered a pasta with pigeon). It was delicious! I also ate at the Indian restaurant at the Mena house. None of us got sick during our stay in Egypt (and we also spent four nights on a riverboat from Luxor to Aswan).

 

Just be mindful of how your food was prepared. No salads, no juice, no ice cubes, and make sure that your bottled water has never been opened.

[tomko2]

We were there on a one day excursion which included a buffet lunch on our Nile cruise. I opted to eat a granola bar I packed and drink my water from the ship; my DH opted to eat a little bit of the buffet lunch (only cooked food) and have an Egyptian beer. Neither of us got sick.

Kathy:)

[MercedMike]

We were 20 days in Egypt followed by 10 days in Morocco. In both groups, we were practically the only ones who never got sick. We stuck strictly to HOT foods, and fruit we peeled ourselves. We drank only bottled water or wine. We did drink the hibiscus juice in Egypt since it is almost always bottled anyhow. We faithfully sanitized our hands every time we used the restroom and before and after eating (and whenever we thought of it.) We had no problems.

 

Many people in our Morocco group were similarly careful, including a doctor. However for one lunch they ordered a soup which they commented was lukewarm. Apparently the hot soup had been stretched by adding cold water, as they all came down with it!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[murphysmum]

Hello...

 

Perhaps we were just lucky, but my husband and I spent 1 1/2 weeks in Egypt this year and never got sick.

 

For convenience, most of the time we ate where we stayed...Mena Oberoi..tried three restaurants and room service...ate salads, fruit, iced drinks....Old Cataract...terrace and restaurant...same things....Oberoi Philae...ate everything and had a few snacks on shore...Four Season's Residence...no problem.

 

In addition to where we stayed, we ate perhaps four lunches out while touring and had no ill effects; our guide picked the restaurants. We DID drink only bottled water, but the ice in the above hotels wasn't a problem.

 

I DID avoid cream sauces; I've found them to be a problem in several parts of the world. Other than that, in a quality facility I expect clean food and seemed to get it.

 

Good luck!

 

murphysmum;)

[Keith1010]

We were in the Middle East earlier this year as part of a world cruise.

 

No matter where we travel we do the following.

 

1. Only drink bottled water.

2. While we love salads, we will not have them on land.

3. Only have peeled fruit.

4. Order hot items and not eat the buffets. Why? As food cools bacteria

begins to develop.

5. Eat at recommended restaurants and not purchase anything from street

vendors.

 

Even with this there is always a risk but it helps to minimize problems.

 

There are plenty of good foods to eat in Egypt.

 

Keith

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[cruisemom42]

I'm planning a 12-day trip to Egypt, so even though my stomach is usually pretty cast-iron, I'm prepared to be careful. I've read on some other boards that once you get the "bug", the best thing to do is to get something locally available in Egypt to treat it. Apparently it works much better against the particular organisms than anything you might bring from home. I think it's called Antinal.

 

Anyone know any more about it?

[boatboat]

These are all good precautions .... another I never would have thought of on my own .... only use bottled water to brush your teeth.

[Keith1010]

These are all good precautions .... another I never would have thought of on my own .... only use bottled water to brush your teeth.

 

You are 100% correct. I've done this for years and while some will say this is overkill I had read an extensive article about a year ago that also recommended this as well.

 

Keith

[hobse]

What about coffee? Since it is made with water, is it okay? Or do most think it is made with bottled water?

[Keith1010]

Water that has been boiled is fiine. So, coffee would be OK.

 

Keith

[jenny wren]

Another tip I read somewhere is to take probiotic tablets or yogurt for a couple of weeks before you go to make sure you have plenty of healthy bacteria in your body. We did this and were scrupulous about hand washing ...I also took anti bacterial wipes with us to wipe around the bathroom...as well as all the other tips mentioned above, we managed a week without any sickness. Also avoid touching hand rails where possible and wash hands after handling money.

[smeyer418]

We just spent two weeks in Egypt....everyone was fine. My wife and I ate Egypt fast food,,, Falafel sandwiches and Faul sandwiches and koshery....this is what the Carienes eat....

 

Falafel is fried chick peas. Faul is cook and smashed Fava Beans and Koshery is mixtures of rice, pasta, red(tomato) or hot sauce and some toppings.

A Falafel sandwich is 1 LE(20 cents) Faal is 50 piasters(10 cents) and Koshery is also 1LE. The water is actually safe BUT there are micro oganisms in there that you are not used to so drink bottled(that is what the Egyptiions do)....but unless you are drinking the water it is ok to brush.....You will probably get sick any way. Bring Imodium..stay away from the Medicines not available in the US

[whale-watcher]

...and I was hoping to find a thread discussing more of the wonderful food available in the middle east! Lots of helpful information...I also would suggest considering Hepatitis A vaccination for anyone that travels extensively outside of North America and Europe (I usually visit our local travel clinic before more exotic journeys).

[Toto2Kansas]

We just returned from an overnite from Port Said to Cairo and ate the local foods never having a problem one. Most of the stops were buffet type meals and we stuck to the cooked foods only. We also drank only bottled drinks.

Never had a problem one, although many in the group did. BUT........I noticed a lot of them were trying the gorgeous salad bars, even after being told not to. They looked fantastic, but for us, it just wasn't worth taking the chance.

 

I am usually the first one to be in distress in a foreign country from eating local foods, but not a problem this time.

 

So, if it is cooked, go ahead and eat the food. Definitely stay away from cold foods, salads, juices that don't come out of a bottle, and definitely the water out of the tap at any hotels. (yes, I even brought bottled water from the ship to brush my teeth). If you are careful and remember what you should and shouldn't eat, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

BTW-Cipro along in your carry on or purse is always good to have, just in case you slip up and forget where you are and what you are eating. ;)

[Moonglow]

Another area people rarely think of is the shower water. Keep the water away from you eyes, nose and especially your mouth. I always carefully washed my face at the sink to control the water. A doctor on our tour of Egypt gave us that tip. Of course we all knew to eat only hot cooked food that we knew what it was and drink bottled beverages with the lids still on. I ate some weird things for meals like soup and oranges and bread. Even so, the experience of Egypt was well worth it.

Carol

[harrodsfan]

We were in the Middle East earlier this year as part of a world cruise.

 

No matter where we travel we do the following.

 

1. Only drink bottled water.

2. While we love salads, we will not have them on land.

3. Only have peeled fruit.

4. Order hot items and not eat the buffets. Why? As food cools bacteria

begins to develop.

5. Eat at recommended restaurants and not purchase anything from street

vendors.

 

Even with this there is always a risk but it helps to minimize problems.

 

WE have been all over the world and to Egypt twice.. Never been sick. We follow all of the above and always carry peanut butter and granola bars.

WE avoid buffets generally....too many bits and bobs with the possiblity of problems...

We also have one more rule:

6. We never eat ground beef products.

 

I hate giving up some things but I would rather have a good adventure rather than a food adventure that turns bad.

[carolat]

Warm pita bread, hummus, baba ganoush, LENTIL SOUP!, lamb shish kebab.

[surroundedbyboys]

While we were in Egypt (for 2 weeks) our Egyptian guide was very specific on what was ok to eat. One thing he always said was don't eat the tomatoes, lettuce, etc. Not one of us got sick EXCEPT for one who thought he was safe being in a 4 star restaurant and had a BLT on the last day. He was sick the entire flight home. Don't let down your guard! The food we did have was awesome.

[WeBeGone]

Here are some things I tried on our 2 trips to Egypt:

 

Koshari -- a local Egytian dish made up of rice, pasta, brown lentils, fried onion, and salsa (hot or normal)

 

Fool Beans -- fava beans cooked in various ways and sold in flat bread sandwiches, on on plates to eat with bread. Can be for breakfast, or any time of the day

 

Tarmeya --deep fried patties of beans, and green vegetables with a crispy outside. Really good, normally in a flat bread sandwich

 

Fateer --a form of pastry (which it thrown until it is very thin), then it is filled with cheese, meat, tuna fish, banana, honey, jam, nuts, sultanas - and other things. Also called "Egyptian Pancakes"

 

Bamia --okra, cooked in various ways, but often with tomatoes and meat

 

Stuffed Vegetables "Mashi" --peppers, vine leaves, zucchini, thin slices of eggplant, tomatoes.

 

Oriental sweets -- often include nuts and honey, the same as in most of the middle east

 

Grilled meats and chicken (kebabs)

 

Great local beer - Sakkara

 

Unfortunately I ate/drank something that gave me giardia. :o I was very sick for a month and the pills to kill those nasty parasites were horrible (plus no alcohol for 15 days :eek: ). Still haven't figured out what I ate/drank that was different from my husband who didn't get sick. Next trip I'll be even MORE careful.

[smeyer418]

http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm#transmission

 

you can have it without any symptoms....was he tested?