Koshary

Often called the national dish of Egypt, Kushari is a hearty combination of flavors and textures all topped off with spicy tomato sauce and fried onions.

Koshary, also kushari and koshari, is Egypt's national dish and a widely popular street food. An Egyptian dish that originated during the mid-19th century, the dish combines Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern culinary elements. Koshary is made of rice, macaroni, and lentils mixed together, topped with a spiced tomato sauce and garlic vinegar and garnished with chickpeas and crispy fried onions. It is often served with sprinklings of garlic juice; garlic vinegar and hot sauce are optional.

'Koshary' is directly derived from the term "Kosher", which means vegan food in the Afro-Asiatic languages, meaning food with no meat, dairy or fish. The most popular English spelling in Egypt is koshary; other variations of the spelling are kushari, koshari and kosheri.

Koshary originated in the mid-19th century, during a time when Egypt was a multicultural country in the midst of an economic boom. It consists of fried onions, lentils, rice, macaroni and lemon sauce. It is somewhat related to Italian cuisine and to an Indian dish made only from rice and lentils, khichdi, but the Egyptian dish has more ingredients and flavors, especially the local Egyptian sauce giving it the unique taste the dish is popular for.

Koshary used to be sold on food carts in its early years, and was introduced to restaurants later.

This dish is widely popular among workers and laborers and the dish is well-suited to mass catering events such as conferences. It may be prepared at home, and is also served at roadside stalls and restaurants all over Egypt; some restaurants specialize in koshary to the exclusion of other dishes, while others feature it as one item among many.[ As traditionally prepared koshary does not contain any animal products, it can be considered vegan, as long as all frying uses vegetable oil.

Alexandrian koshary is quite different from other koshary recipes, with significant variations in taste and form. the process of cooking includes yellow lentils and rice, it also uses curry and cumin in the rice, which gives the koshary a uniform color. Also included are Egyptian rolled eggs, which are boiled then fried in ghee or butter, as well as lightly pickled tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and French fries on the side.

Koshary has also gained popularity other Arab countries in recent years, especially in Eastern Arabia and Yemen. There are variations based on each country or region, such as adding grilled vegetables and using Basmati rice cooked either white or yellow. Other recipes of these regions include using other shapes of macaroni. The recipes could include chicken as well, making them closer to kabsa in some cases.