Unlike places like Syria or Turkey, Egypt doesn’t have a restaurant culture; instead, it has a unique and exciting street food setting. Two main shopping areas in Luxor are both connected, and it is known as Luxor Market. The first is the typical tourist street with various knickknacks and souvenirs that can be collected by tourists who want to try out their haggling skills. The second place is more oriental and is also known as a ‘Souk’ and contains more everyday products that a family may need in the area.
About Luxor Market
Located behind the Temple of Luxor, Sharia el-Souq was converted into a charming yet unauthentic, covered pedestrian zone with newly paved and renovated streets that sell merchandise, and so it is known as the tourist zone as it sells items specifically catered to them. Of course, the more natural Souk is located north onto Sharia Ahmos, where much of the ancient architecture remains. It is the place where tourists actually gather during their tour in Luxor to be enthralled by the brightly colored theme, and the various items make it like a scene out of a movie.
Fruits and Vegetables
There are also many items to try at Luxor Market, such as the three popular eggplants which star in their dishes. The most popular one is the large, purple-brown colored variety, known as bitinjan Rumi, or ‘Roman Eggplant.’ There are also the purple-brown ones called bitinjan arus, or ‘Bride Eggplants’, and finally, there are the white, slender eggplants, which are called bitinjan abyad or ‘White Eggplant,’ which are thought to be very delicious.
Due to their rarity, mangoes aren’t cheap in Egypt, but their unique taste makes them a must-have for any tourist looking for a new type of food. This is because Egyptian mangos are polyembryonic, in contrast to most Indian cultivars, and their predominant external color, a greyish-green with their taste being sweet with a robust and spicy flavor, and those which bring the best market prices have an appealing aroma that draws in others.
Importance of Fish
Another must-have food for tourists is the Feseekh, a traditional Egyptian fish dish consisting of fermented, salted, and dried gray mullet. Feseekh is usually eaten during the Sham el-Nessim festival, which is a spring celebration from ancient times in Egypt, making the process of preparing it a traditional secret recipe that is often only passed down in a single-family. There is also the Melouha, a freshwater fish called Seer or Kingfish, which is considered a delicacy in southern Upper Egypt and made much the same way as the Feseekh.
Of course, the people themselves are rather pleasant and ensure the preservation of their culture as they reveal various little food recipes which may not be found anywhere else in the world. Food enthusiasts would be surprised to see how different various ‘normal’ items taste when dipped in a little Egyptian Cousine, and the atmosphere of the area makes it a must-try for any tourist.
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