Kushari

Kushari

Kushari topped with fried onion
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Koshary, kosheri, or koshari
Place of origin	Egypt
Details
Main ingredient(s)	rice, lentils, onions, garlic, cumin, chickpeas, pasta, tomato,

Kushari, also koshary, kosheri or koshari (Egyptian Arabic: كشرى, [ˈkoʃæɾi]), is an Egyptian dish of rice and lentils cooked together, topped with pasta, some add spaghetti, a garlic tomato sauce, and garnished with chickpeas and crispy fried onions, with a sprinkling of garlic juice.

History

Kushari originated in the mid 19-th century, during a time when Egypt was a multi-cultural country and the economy was booming. The lower-classes, usually limited, pantry became full with a myriad of ingredients, lentils, rice, pasta, chickpeas, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, oil, e.t.c. At the end of the month, families would usually have a little left of everything. And so families would use it up by putting it all together into a tasty, moorish dish. It is unknown who is the pioneer that first put this dish together, but the popularity of this "end of the month" dish spread like wildfire between workers and laborers. It may be prepared at home or served at roadside stalls and restaurants all over Egypt; some restaurants specialize in kushari to the exclusion of other dishes, while others feature it as an item among many. It is most usually a vegetarian dish, although today it is sometimes topped with a small amount of meat (e.g. shawarma or fried liver), particularly when served at restaurants that also serve those dishes separately.

See also

• List of African dishes

External links

• Koshari recipe
• Article on Egyptian vegetarian cooking
• A travel writer's take on Kushari in Cairo