Koshary, Egypt's National Dish

UNESCO recognized koshary as intangible cultural heritage in 2025.

Koshary is the national dish and popular street food of Egypt.

The bowl mixes pasta, fried rice, vermicelli, lentils, and chickpeas.

A garlicky tomato sauce and garlic vinegar top the whole mixture.

Explorer Richard Burton documented koshary as breakfast in Suez in 1853.

Early vendors sold koshary from food carts before restaurants adopted the dish.

Some restaurants specialize in koshary to the exclusion of all other dishes.

Traditional koshary is vegan if all frying uses vegetable oil.

Alexandrian koshary uses yellow lentils, curry, cumin, and pickled tomatoes.

Koshary gained popularity outside Egypt recently, especially in Eastern Arabia and Yemen.

Instant koshary appeared in Egypt in 2020, requiring hot water to prepare.

The instant version needs 5 to 10 minutes to be ready.