When it comes to food in Egypt, the culinary traditions of rural and urban areas largely intertwine, especially when it comes to festive dishes like molokhia (mallow), roasted duck, stuffed pigeons, and mahshy (stuffed vegetables), which are enjoyed across the country. However, there is a big amount of mainstream countryside Egyptian dishes that might have slipped under the radar of city dwellers. Here is a glimpse into some unique culinary traditions of rural Egypt: Bataw Starting with bread, the very foundation of Egyptian cuisine: in Egyptian Arabic, the word for bread is “aish”, which also happens to mean “life”, a linguistic connection reflecting the cultural significance of bread in Egyptian society. While most Egyptians are familiar with the regular baladi wheat flour bread, rural areas have an additional traditional bread called bataw. Unlike its counterpart, bataw is made from corn flour, lending it a distinct flavor and texture. Interestingly, the term bataw traces its origins back to ancient Egypt, as described in the book “The Pharaoh’s Kitchen: Recipes from Ancient Egypt’s Enduring Food Traditions” by Magda Mehdawy and Amr Hussein. In modern-day rural Egypt, there is not one exclusive way…
