Abstract
<jats:p>Egyptian culinary culture reflects a long-standing cultural heritage shaped by agricultural production along the Nile River and its influence on social life. In Ancient Egypt, dietary practices were mainly based on bread and beer made from emmer wheat and barley. These foods were not only part of the daily diet but also played an important role in the economic system, social hierarchy, and religious rituals. Tomb scenes and written sources show that food carried symbolic meanings, especially in relation to offerings to the gods and beliefs about the afterlife (Samuel, 1996; Ikram, 2010). Dietary practices in Ancient Egypt differed according to social class. While the elite and those connected to temples had access to a wider variety of foods, most of the population followed a simple diet based on grains, legumes, and vegetables (Ebied, 2016; Hussein & Mehdawy, 2016). Contemporary Egyptian cuisine continues this historical tradition while adapting to regional and geographical conditions. Fish and seafood are common along the Mediterranean coast, rice and poultry are widely consumed in the Nile Delta, and diets in desert regions rely more on small livestock and legumes. National dishes such as ful, tameya, koshari, and molokhiya reflect the continuity of grain- and legume-based food traditions from ancient times to the present (Özkan, 2002; McWilliams, 2011). This chapter presents the main characteristics and food practices of Ancient Egyptian cuisine and examines the regional structure, daily eating habits, and key national dishes of modern Egyptian cuisine.</jats:p>