“This is one of the few places that actually curate the sandwich instead of throwing all the ingredients into the bread randomly,” Laila Hassaballa says as she invites us to try the ‘Dynamite Sandwich.’ Filled to the brim with hard boiled eggs, fried eggplant, french fries, green salad, mashed fuul, and ta’meyya (also known as ‘falafel’), my companions and I struggled to keep the ingredients from falling out. Hassaballa explains that not all Dynamite Sandwiches are created equal: “They mash the fuul in a way that gives the fillings a creamy texture, and it’s the best thing to order at a fuul and ta’meyya place when you don’t know what to order.” After that first bite, I was immediately upset that it’s taken me 29 years of living in Cairo to get my hands on this concoction. Better late than never. This was only the first stop of the ‘Bellies En Route’ Heliopolis food tour, and we were off to a wonderful start. Egypt’s First Food Tour Company Hassaballa is the co-founder of Bellies En Route, Egypt’s first food tour company, along with her partner Mariam Nezar. Originally graphic designers,…
