Spanish vs Egyptian food & cuisine

Nibbling different snacks and sipping sweet black tea could be called a national habit; coffee is way less popular. In some areas, people rely on super sweet tea as a portion of their caloric intake for workers during the day.

Beyond bread, wheat in Spanish cuisine features sweat and savory pastries, like churros, empanadas, empanadillas, ensaimadas. Spanish cooks use wheat flour for the light coating on fried fish and seafood and turn stale bread into breadcrumbs for crispy croquettes. While Spaniards don’t eat pasta like their Italian neighbors, they do have fideuà, which is basically paella made with noodles instead of rice, and sopa de fideos, a homey, comforting noodle.

Only a few countries in Europe treat rice as an essential staple, as Spain and Portugal do. Both Iberian Peninsula neighbors are top consumers of rice in Europe. This popularity mostly has to do with the Moors, who, back in the 8th century, popularized rice in Spain. Plain rice is not a frequent Spanish choice; they’re more often found in dishes like paella, arroz negro, arroz con costra, and creamy rice desserts. Mostly, short-grain rice is preferred for its ability to absorb flavors while retaining a distinct bite.

Interestingly, despite their similar culinary traditions, corn is much less popular in Portugal, despite their otherwise similar culinary. While Spain also had colonies in the corn-rich Americas, Spanish cooking customs were already well-established when corn arrived, and the new grain had to compete with existing staples. Corn simply never gained the widespread acceptance that wheat and rice already possessed.

In very few Mediterranean countries, corn, or maize, is found so profoundly as in Egypt. Native to the Americas and introduced to North Africa by Portuguese traders, it became important in Egyptian diet before the wheat bread subsidizing program was initiated in the 1950s.  Still, some rural people make their own bread with maize flour.

Short or medium-grain rice is widely consumed, more so than in any other Mediterranean country. Authentic Egyptian rice is tossed with plenty of ghee or butter and mixed with vermicelli noodles and chicken broth. An interesting fact about rice usage in Egypt is that rice is specifically prepared to complement a particular dish. For example, molokhia (veggie soup) is served with plain white rice to balance its rich and garlicky flavor, while sayadeya (a fish dish) is served with yellow turmeric and cumin-spiced rice to enhance the flavors of the fish.

One of the star vegetables in Spanish cooking is tomato, mostly harvested in southern Andalusia. Tomatoes show up everywhere – in cold gazpacho and salmorejo soups and as the heart of sofrito – the base of slowly cooked tomatoes, onions, and garlic that starts nearly every Spanish stew and paella.

Peppers enhance dishes with colors, like in smoky escalivada – smoky grilled veggies; add depth to rice and meat preparations; season in the form of smoked powder, or are served alone, like grilled pimientos del padrón. Mild, green pepper guindillas, crunchy and marinated with wine vinegar, are popular as a part of small snack pintxos – various ingredients served on a toothpick.

Artichokes are a big deal in Valencia, where locals go crazy for them – you’ll find them grilled over flames or stewed with chunks of ham until tender. Down south, eggplant rules, thanks to the Moors who brought them centuries ago. Try berenjenas con miel – crispy fried eggplant drizzled with honey.

Zucchini and asparagus show up everywhere since they love the Spanish climate. As for legumes, they’re the backbone of comfort food. Chickpeas are a clear favorite, but you’ll also find white beans, pintos, and favas often hanging out with ham and other cured meats in rustic stews.

Contrary to other Levantine varieties, ta’ameya, Egyptian falafel, is prepared with fava beans, not chickpeas, which are slightly moister on the inside.

Potatoes were introduced to Egypt relatively recently compared to wheat, beans, and lentils. They’ve become well-integrated into modern cooking, but they complement rather than replace traditional starches. Alongside potatoes, Egyptians consume more starchy roots, such as taro root. Taro is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. After being peeled completely, it is cut into small cubes, cooked in broth with fresh coriander and chard, and served as a side for meat dish.

Egyptian cuisine heavily features vegetables alongside cereals. A common practice of the East Mediterranean and the Middle East is to have them stuffed with spiced rice – mahshi, meaning ‘stuffed’.

Chopped, vinegary fresh salad is a frequent option to balance the richness of other dishes, referred to as salata baladi. Pickles of various vegetables, known as turshi or mekhalel, are served with almost everything. They are super salty, sour, spicy, and have a powerful punch.

Sideways to hams go sausages – the spicy red chorizo, with its smoky taste from paprika, the air-dried lomo, and milder salchichón are popular tapas, often served in thin slices.

Fresh pork is also appreciated from nose to toe. Signature dishes are wine-braised cheeks, a cochinillo sado roasted suckling pig from Segovia, and secreto ibérico, a hidden cut of marbled pork.

Spain has a long tradition of sheep herding, especially with breeds churra and manchega, raised for both meat and cheese. Meat is usually prepared rustic style: chuletas de cordero a la brasa – grilled lamb chops, cordero asado – grilled lamb over an open fire, lechazo  – suckling lamb roasted in a wood-fired oven.

Beef also has a tradition in Spain, though it is less central than pork or lamb. Raising and consuming oxen in Spain dates back centuries – their strength was used for plowing fields or transporting goods, and meat consumed after in dishes like carrillade de buye – ox cheek stew, ternera gallega – Galician beef, rabo de toro– slow-cooked ox tail in tomato and wine sauce. Some beef in Spain is also dry-cured, like cecinea de leon.

Speaking of the game, rabbit is pretty popular. You’ll find it in garlicky conejo al ajillo and in authentic paella Valenciana where rabbit (not seafood) is actually a traditional ingredient.

The popularity of poultry has grown significantly since the 1990s, largely due to its affordability, and it is now the most consumed meat. Egyptians are also known for consuming less popular birds, such as ducks and pigeons.

Traces of pigeons used for food date back to Pharaonic times. Today, high needle-like structures made of clay, called pigeon houses, mark the horizon of rural villages – these structures are built for the domesticated pigeons.

Even inland, seafood is major: paella de marisco – seafood paella, zarzuela de mariscos – seafood stew, pulpo a la gallega – octopus with smoked paprika, bacalao al pil pil – salted cod with olive oil, boquerones en vinagre – vinegary anchovies, and gambas al ajillo – garlic shrimp, are iconic Spanish dishes. Fish markets are bustling with variety, and Spaniards have great respect for the quality and freshness of their catch.

Fish are usually cooked whole, rather than the European practice of filleting; they are often bread-coated and grilled or fried, served with rice and vegetables. Fish tagines and stews with tomato sauce, onions, and veggies are also traditional preparations.

One of the most famous is manchego, made from sheep milk. Its rind has a unique crisscross pattern created using wooden molds. Manchego comes in various aging stages, from young and mild to aged and sharp.

Spain produces Europe’s priciest cheese: cabrales, aged in specific caves. At auction, they can fetch over €15,000 per wheel, setting world records for cheese prices.

Spain also has some truly unusual cheeses, such as torta del casar. This cheese is intentionally made using an enzyme from thistle flowers instead of animal rennet, which gives it a bitter taste and an extremely runny texture. It’s eaten by cutting off the top and scooping out the interior.

Evidence of cheese has been found in tombs dating back 3300 years; historians believe it would have had a moist, spreadable consistency. The most prevailing cheese varieties in Egypt are domiati, karish, mish, and roumi cheeses.

According to the World Best Olive Oils rankings, Spanish extra virgin olive oils hold the top positions and garner the most awards and recognition globally (source).

Spanish desserts tend toward simplicity compared to the elaborate pastries of France or the richness of American desserts. They are often made of a few high-quality ingredients with minimal processing.

Almond dominance distinguishes local desserts on a global scale. Spain is the second-largest consumer of almonds, incorporating them into turrón —almond nougat—marzipan from Toledo, countless cakes, and cookies. There is even an almond-based soup called ajo blanco, in which almonds are combined with garlic, bread, and vinegar to create an elegant soup (or sauce).

Other nuts, such as pines, hazelnuts, and walnuts, are used in cakes, pastries, marzipans, cold soups, and drinks, like horchata de chufa.

The Mediterranean trifecta of honey, citrus, and olive oil frequently appears in Spanish desserts. Honey often replaces refined sugar, and the use of olive oil in desserts predates butter-based pastries in Spanish cuisine.

The Egyptians are not traditionally known for having a sweet tooth – desserts are more associated with feasts. Egyptian sweets share DNA with Turkish, Lebanese, and Syrian desserts. Egyptians stuff their sweets with almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, dates. Sweets tend to be absolutely drenched in sugar syrup, often more so than their neighbors. Rose water and orange blossom waters are used generously; many play with different textures in one bite.