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Exploring the History of the Egyptian Burger: Hawawshi

October 1, 2021
Photo: Tareekaa.com

Was he simply making himself an impromptu snack, or was he intentionally experimenting with new flavors and textures? We may never know what this Egyptian butcher had in mind when he first decided to put minced meat inside baladi bread. Known for its thin texture, this type of bread is, after all, better suited for use as wedn otta (cat ears) for molokheya or for embracing the fatty goodness of Egyptian roomi (romano) cheese – but to sandwich meat? It was, most probably, completely unheard of at that point. Regardless of his intentions, the combination of ingredients ended up becoming a winner; for he had no idea how this deceptively simple concoction – now called hawawshi – would turn into an eternal legacy in the Cairo streets he called home. Confirming his exact name is a difficult feat; some argue it was Mohamed El-Hawawshi, while other accounts believe it was Ahmed El-Hawawsh. While many sources also claim that the meat-filled creation only dates back to the 1970s, it arguably goes back to the 1930s, as evidenced by a photo of an old butchery receipt claimed to be from his shop….


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