The Keepers of Egyptian Recipes in the Ethereal Oasis of Siwa
Words by Suzanne Zeidy & Rawah Badrawi
Unlike other countries in the region, Egypt never had waves of emigrants go out into the world as a diaspora of ambassadors to advertise its cuisine abroad. The flavors, rituals and dishes stayed at home, and were passed down from generation to generation by the keepers of the recipes. Ours was an anthropological quest for answers to a simple question: What is Egyptian cuisine and who are the keepers of the recipes?
Amazigh man at Adrere Amellal
Through the years we often heard culinary pundits dismiss the food culture of the Arab world’s oldest nation-state: “Egypt is not known for its food”, they would say. Egypt’s global image is generally defined by its ancient civilization and monuments, occasionally at the expense of other treasures and marvels, like the cuisine. The Egyptian food story is a rich component of its long history, with dazzling layers shaped by geography, conquest and empire. Blessed with two seas, flanked by deserts, protected by mountains, with the Nile running through it, Egypt was the ultimate prize for the reigning cultures of the time: Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, French, British. Each one left an imprint on its national kitchen.
Our book journey began on the northern coast in Alexandria, steering east to Damietta and Port Said then west to Marsa Matruh. We followed the Nile all the way down from Kafr el Sheikh through Cairo, Minya, Luxor and Aswan. We crossed deserts from Siwa to Fayoum and Dakhla, then drove through the rugged mountains of the Sinai Peninsula to Mount Sinai and St. Catherine’s. We visited extraordinary places and learned about time-honoured rituals, crops and dishes. We gathered recipes and stories from Egyptians of all backgrounds: matriarchs, monks, Bedouins, Nubians, Nile River farmers, urban socialites and many more. Every town or city revealed something new and unique within a vibrant mosaic of histories, people, and heritage
Looking back at all the places we visited across the country, Siwa was a stand-alone destination; unabashedly unique in its culture, language and history. This ethereal oasis — situated in one of Egypt’s most remote provinces and deepest deserts — has an other-worldly quality to it, with a landscape of ancient temples, medieval fortresses, endless date groves and shimmering salt lakes. We embarked on the long drive from coastal enclave Marsa Matruh to Siwa one October afternoon, leaving the sea behind us for the infinite folds of soft Saharan sands.
Adrère Amellal
Our overnight stay was at an ecolodge named Adrère Amellal, meaning “white mountain” in the local Eastern Berber language known as Siwi. It’s a vernacular property situated at the foot of a mountain, overlooking date groves, desert, and water. Approaching under the light of the full moon, we felt like we were stepping into a Saharan realm from ancient history. This blissful sanctuary offered a rare chance to disconnect completely without electricity or modern distractions. Siwan Amazigh men dressed in white-on-white glided gracefully between courtyards guided by gas lit lanterns and fire pits.
The next morning, we toured the ecolodge herb and vegetable gardens, and there we found the sacred sycamore fig trees long revered in Egypt as the “Tree of Life.” Ancient Egyptians believed these trees embodied divine motherhood and protection; their wood used for coffins to ease the soul’s passage to eternity and offering the ultimate promise that death is not The End. Egypt had entire valleys of sycamore fig trees throughout history, but today they are a rare sighting: the insects that pollinate them have become extinct. Adrère Amellal’s sycamore fig trees are lovingly cared for — their raw, wild beauty a living connection to the past.
In Mohamed El Abd’s Date Grove
In Siwa, dates are central to life and cuisine. Siwan agriculturist Mohamed el Abd graciously invited us to his date farm — a lush grove, part sanctuary, part guesthouse. The enchanting space was full of inviting details: Siwan rugs for lounging, a fire pit for tea-time, and a tent space for overnight guests. “I always make sure I spend a few days a week here, even if I don’t have visitors to take care of,” he says softly, with a timid smile as he brews us lueza, or lemongrass tea, the local specialty. Mohamed explains how lemongrass tea, a refreshing break from Egypt’s usual black tea, flavours drinks but rarely food.
Walking among the palms, Mohamed shows us about a dozen date varieties that he produces commercially. He stops, reaches his long slender arms up to touch the stone fruits, picks a few to show us, then carries on. “There are certain species of dates here that I never sell; those I keep for myself because they only grow in Siwa. Dates like Agbil, Tataght, Aghzal, Taghzelt, Likramit — have you heard of them?”
After a soulful few hours together, Mohamed handed us a box of dates as a parting gift. We feasted on them later that evening, their rich sweetness a dance of flavours and textures. We understood why these precious varieties never leave Siwa: they are edible treasures, intertwined with the place and its people.
Mohamed El Abd at his Date Farm
Ashengoot: Siwa’s Unique Culinary Heritage
The uniqueness of Siwan cuisine comes not from its ingredients but from the culture’s total isolation from the rest of Egypt for thousands of years. A traditional dish that captures the spirit of communal celebration is ashengoot. For this wedding staple, an entire goose is simmered for hours in an aromatic broth until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone. Delectable wraps of goose meat and boiled eggs are handed out to wedding guests during the festivities. In our take on this authentically Siwan dish, we use the meat of juicy bird’s legs only (chicken or duck works well if goose is unavailable) and jazz up the wraps with a tangy emulsion of date and olive oil, sprinkled with spring onions.
Ashengoot – Goose & Egg Wraps
Ashengoot Goose and Egg wrap (serves 4)
A Recipe From Our Forthcoming Book “EGYPT: Recipes & Stories from an Ancient Land” (Nourish Books September 2026)
Ingredients:
1 onion, quartered
3 mastic resin pieces
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
2 goose legs
4 eggs
4 spring onions (scallions)
For the bread:
200g (7oz/1½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
Olive oil, for brushing
For the sauce:
4 tbsp date syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of chilli flakes
Juice of ½ a lemon
Sea salt and ground black pepper
To boil the goose, in a medium-sized pan over high heat, bring enough water to a rolling boil to fully submerge the goose legs. Add the onion, mastic, bay leaves, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the goose legs to the pot. Cover and let them simmer for about 1½–2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Once cooked, remove the goose legs from the broth and place on a plate to cool. Using two forks, carefully remove the skin and shred the meat.
To make the bread, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly incorporate 150ml (5fl oz/½ cup plus 2 tbsp) water while mixing with one hand. When the dough comes together, turn it onto a slightly floured surface and knead until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into eight equal balls. Roll out each ball to a 20cm (8 inch) circle on a slightly floured surface, trying to make each as thin as possible. Brush each with a little olive oil on both sides. Place each flatbread on a medium griddle or in a frying pan over medium heat and cook for 1 minute on each side. Repeat with the remaining bread. Place the finished breads under a cloth so they don’t dry out.
For the sauce, in a small bowl, mix the date syrup, olive oil, chili flakes, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
To cook the eggs, bring a pan of water to the boil. Place the eggs in the boiling water and cook for exactly 8 minutes. Remove the eggs and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs, then quarter them with a sharp knife and set aside.
To assemble the wraps, place a flatbread on a plate and spread a spoonful of sauce onto it. Place a few pieces of goose in a line in the middle, followed by pieces of egg. Top with a sprinkle of spring onions and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Fold in the sides like you would a tortilla, then gently roll the wrap like a cigar to close it. The wraps are meant to be slender, so do not overstuff them.
Suzanne Zeidy (left) and Rawah Badrawi (right)
“EGYPT: Recipes & Stories from an Ancient Land” is set to be published in September 2026 by Nourish Books with photography by Jonathan Gregson. Follow the journey of Suzanne Zeidy and Rawah Badrawi on Instagram.
Egypt is one of the world’s oldest civilizations with diverse landscapes, people, and cultures. This book will take the reader on a unique journey to explore Egypt’s magic via its rich culinary history and the rituals that surround it. Suzanne Zeidy, author of “Cairo Kitchen”, and Rawah Badrawi, author of “Siwa”, collaborate on this new title to highlight different cultures in contrasting geographical locations, shedding light on their historical legacies, unique stories, authentic dishes, and crops. Historically, recipes are handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and with time, many are lost, resulting in a disappearing food heritage. Within the process of investigating this fading art form is an important conversation about women and kitchen sovereignty, ancient cooking methods and ingredients, and the ways in which cultures change across time. These meaningful stories will be told through food, and in so doing, preserve and archive many of the rich culinary traditions of communities that are off the beaten track.