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perhaps grated carrot or sliced onion, to provide vitamins. Those wealthy enough to buy meat might serve it as an accompaniment, probably as escalope fried in egg and breadcrumbs.

One of my favourite winter starters was lentil soup, the lentils being boiled first in a pressure cooker. Then the usual grated onion was sauteed in oil and the lentils added. It was served with ground cumin. I think I miss this dish more than any other, although Seeds of Change spicy lentil soup comes a close second.

In the summer we had a soup-like dish that I believe is considered as a vegetable: moloukhia. It is a green leaf that has to be finely chopped and then cooked in chicken stock. A separate, cooked tomato sauce can be added upon serving: that may sound unusual but I found it to be a delicious combination. Bread is served as well. The idea of a hot, soupy vegetable in the height of summer may not seem appealing, but there was something refreshing about it to me.

Chicken was usually a weekend dish in our family. Chickens in Egyptian are usually boiled until the goodness must have gone out of them - the equivalent of what we do with our vegetables. But the stock is always used to make soup, with the addition of rice. My mother-in-law always cooked potatoes in a certain way to go with chicken, but I have a feeling this is a Jewish rather than an Egyptian dish. (I'd be interested to hear from anyone who knows.) The potatoes are cut into as thin chip-shapes as possible and are then deep fried until light golden brown. Just before serving, they are immersed in a small amount of chicken stock which they readily absorb. Unusual, but very enjoyable.

Fish is plentiful in Egypt, especially in Alexandria. It is one of the few foods that can be enjoyed from traditional takeaway shops (as opposed to Macdonalds) in Cairo. It is often fried or grilled, but sometimes baked in the oven with onions, peppers and tomatoes. We usually had rice and tahina as an accompaniment.

Not many Egyptians seem to be vegetarians by choice, but of course many people simply cannot afford to buy meat. You may have come across coshary, which consists of rice with lentils, some short macaroni, a rich, cooked tomato sauce and a topping of crisp fried onions. An inexpensive, very filling meal that provides some protein and vitamins. It is now easy to find felafel in UK supermarkets - Egyptians call it taamiya, and it is a popular breakfast dish eaten with flat bread. I never took a liking to foul, perhaps because I

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