A new book about the former Egyptian Royal family’s cuisine will whet your appetite
CAIRO: A Chinese, Thai or Indian dish prepared for that special dinner party might not necessarily boost your reputation as a good cook. People will only notice you if you follow their favorite recipes.
But when these recipes hail from the former Egyptian royal kitchen, dishes currently mastered and served exclusively at top hotels and other up-market restaurants, chances are that you can impress whoever you want with your own cooking.
For those who might ask where they can get the royal recipes, the answer comes in the form of a book released late last week. It takes them on a journey down memory lane, to a time when serving royal dishes at home was exclusive to the privileged few.
“Matabekh El Moluk (Royal Kickens) by chef Ismael Hashem will grab your attention even if cooking isn’t your favorite pastime.
Published by Al Akhbar as part of Kitab Al Youm series issued at the beginning of every month, the cover features a painting of former King Farouk, the last Egyptian monarch, sitting at a table full of all types of dishes.
We eat royal offerings including keshk, sharkasia or dulma, thinking that they have been borrowed from the kitchens of a foreign land.
True, they are Turkish delicacies, but they have spread far and wide in Egypt owing to the influence of the palace. The royals were always the center of attention and an object of curiosity, especially when it came to their attire and cuisine.
Hashem, a chef at the Egyptian foreign ministry, is the author of 55 culinary books.
Unlike other titles which offer recipes to cooks and housewives, his focus is on the link between culture and cuisine throughout the ages.
In this book, the author focused on the dishes that were served on the tables of Farouk, who ruled Egypt between 1917 and 1952 and his father King Fouad. This was a transitional period in Egyptian history, when the royals were overthrown and the public began became inquisitive about the manners and lifestyle of the aristocracy.
This cuisine was exclusively theirs, wrote Hashem in the introduction to his book. He added: “The general public used to follow the recipes of traditional Egyptian cuisine … It was difficult for the majority of people to adapt these recipes because most of their ingredients came from Europe especially for the palace. But now anybody can whip together these recipes locally.
But compiling them was not by any means an easy job for Hashem. He had to research and review one of the oldest books written on the Egyptian royal cuisine, the one printed in the royal press of King Fouad.
This rare reference, titled “The Modern Cook s Guide was written by the late Ahmed Abu El Sinun, one of King Fouad s chefs.
Like all culinary books, “Royal Kitchens is divided into sections for soup, salad, dips, poultry, meat, fish, pasta and rice.
Interestingly as you browse through the recipes, you will realize that the kinds of local salads and dips that we relish at posh eateries were originally those of the royals.
Some of the recipes were also named after the names of members of the royal family such as Prince Farouk Soup, Royal Assortments of Salads, The Queen s Fish, Flito Fish, His Majesty the Ambassador Style, her Majesty the Princess Style, all of which suggest that the dish in question was created for the respective royal.
The publisher and the author claim to have selected the healthiest recipes. However the royals did used to suffer from obesity, gout and other illnesses that were primarily caused by overeating.
So beware, most recipes are high in fat. They may be delicious but it is best to enjoy them in moderation and indulge in some guilt-free royal dining.
