koshary

In the Egyptian Books of Genesis,{{Cite book|last=Alfy|first=Aly|title=الجبتانا أسفار التكوين المصرية - 'The Egyptian Book of Genesis'|page=161|url=https://www.goodreads.com/ar/book/show/10956176}} the Ancient Egyptian term "Koshir" meant "Food of the rites of the Gods", the Koshir was a breakfast dish that consisted of lentils, wheat, chickpeas, garlic and onions cooked together in clay pots. It has been claimed that the original account of the book goes back to Manetho. However, in the collected works of Manetho, no mention of Koshir could be found.{{Cite web |title=LacusCurtius • Manetho: History of Egypt (and other Fragments) |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Manetho/home.html |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu}} The word is not related to the Jewish dietary laws known as Kosher {{citation needed|date=September 2024}}. A priest from Heliopolis described it as a food to eat after fasting on the 11th day of Pachons, a month in the ancient Egyptian calendar. Koshary is known as "The food of the Poor";{{citation|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/videos/2014/6/13/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%B7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1|title=الكشري طعام الفقراء|website=aljazeera.net}} it consists of fried onions, lentils, rice, macaroni and a red sauce. It is somewhat related to Mediterranean cuisine, but the Egyptian dish has different ingredients and flavors, especially the local Egyptian lemon sauce, which gives it the unique taste for which the dish is popular.

In 1853, in his book "Journey to Egypt and the Hijaz", explorer Richard Burton documented koshary as the breakfast meal of the people of Suez. It consisted of Egyptian lentils, rice, butter, onions and pickled lemons.{{cite book|last=Burton|first=Richard|date=1853|title=رحلة بيرتون إلى الحجاز ومصر|url=https://archive.org/details/20201107_20201107_1119/%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9%20%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%20%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89%20%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B2/page/n152/mode/1up|page=150|quote=وإذا ما أشرقت الشمس تناول أهل السويس افطارهم الذي يتكون في فصل الصيف من فطيرة, أما في الشتاء فوجبة الإفطار أكثر أهمية وهي طبق من الكشري, عدس وأرز وسمن وبصل مقطع مسوى على نار هادئة أو ليمون مخلل.}}

Koshary was sold on food carts in its early years, and was introduced to restaurants later.{{cite news |last1=Parvi |first1=Shahrokh |title=Cheap, healthy and oh so tasty: the best kushari in Cairo |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/mar/06/kushari-cairo-rice-lentils-pasta-spicy-cheap |work=The Guardian |date=6 March 2016 |access-date=8 October 2017 |archive-date=6 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106072541/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/mar/06/kushari-cairo-rice-lentils-pasta-spicy-cheap |url-status=live }}

This dish is widely popular among workers and laborers and the dish is well-suited to mass catering events such as conferences.{{Cite web |last=Gopal |first=Sena Desai |title=On the streets of Cairo, I fed my love for koshari - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/10/lifestyle/streets-cairo-i-fed-my-love-koshari/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}} It may be prepared at home, and is also served at roadside stalls and restaurants all over Egypt; some restaurants specialize in koshary to the exclusion of other dishes, while others feature it as one item among many.{{cite web |url=http://www.whats4eats.com/pastas/kushari-recipe |title=Kushari recipe |date=17 February 2009 |publisher=Whats4eats.com |access-date=2013-02-17 |archive-date=2013-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128204004/http://www.whats4eats.com/pastas/kushari-recipe |url-status=live }} As traditionally prepared koshary does not contain any animal products, it can be considered vegan, as long as all frying uses vegetable oil.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

Alexandrian koshary is quite different from other koshary recipes, with significant variations in taste and form. The cooking process includes yellow lentils and rice; it also uses curry and cumin in the rice, giving the koshary a uniform color. Also included are Egyptian fried eggs, which are boiled and then fried in butter, as well as lightly pickled tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, and French fries on the side.{{Cite web|title=كشري اسكندراني بالصور من Alaa Abbas|url=https://cookpad.com/om/%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA/9553403-%D9%83%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%83%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A|access-date=2020-07-26|website=كوكباد|language=ar|archive-date=2020-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726140555/https://cookpad.com/om/%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA/9553403-%D9%83%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%83%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Koshari Ads Asfar |url=https://www.hazteveg.com/receta/2467/Koshari-Ads-Asfar |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=HazteVeg.com}}

Koshary has also gained popularity outside of Egypt in recent years, especially in Eastern Arabia and Yemen. There are variations in each country or region, such as adding grilled vegetables and using basmati rice cooked either white or yellow. Other recipes of these regions include using other shapes of macaroni. The recipes could include chicken as well, making them closer to kabsa in some cases.{{Cite web|title=كشري خليجي بالخضار والدجاج بالصور|url=https://forums.graaam.com/470388.html|access-date=2020-07-26|website=forums.graaam.com|archive-date=2020-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726140811/https://forums.graaam.com/470388.html|url-status=live}}

In Japan, restaurants that serve Koshary have begun to appear, some offering the dish with additions to the original recipe.{{Cite web |last=Samir |first=Salwa |date=2024-06-03 |title=How a Japanese Chef Introduced Egypt’s Beloved Koshari to Tokyo {{!}} Egyptian Streets |url=https://egyptianstreets.com/2024/06/03/how-a-japanese-chef-introduced-egypts-beloved-koshari-to-tokyo/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |language=en-US}} Nontraditional ingredients, which are not typically found in Egyptian recipes, are basil chicken, raw tomatoes, sour cream, fried eggs, Cheddar sauce, avocado slices, and spicy powder with jalapeño.{{Cite web|title=エジプトめしコシャリ屋さん|url=http://koshary-yasan.hungry.jp/|access-date=2020-07-26|website=koshary-yasan.hungry.jp|archive-date=2020-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726143250/http://koshary-yasan.hungry.jp/|url-status=live}}

An instant koshary, akin to instant noodles in packaging and preparation, started appearing in Egypt in 2020. It requires hot water and 5 to 10 minutes to be ready to eat.{{Cite web|title=الكشري أصبح مجفف في عبوة سريعة التحضير: "أخيرا هناكله المصيف"|url=https://alwan.elwatannews.com/news/details/4830932/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%AD-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%81%D9%81-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A9-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%83%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%81|access-date=2024-05-20|website=alwan.elwatannews.com}}

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