Koshary - the Egyptian dish you didn't know about

If I told you that rice, noodles, chick peas and lentils were great together, particularly when you pour marinara, fried onions and hot sauce over it - you might say I was a little weird. But, as it turns out, if you're Egyptian, or anyone who's had a chance to taste this concoction, you'd realize that this is a pretty delish little dish. On my recent trip to Egypt, I was introduced to this culinary treat. I learned that if you mention Koshary in front of an Egyptian, their face lights up and they say, 'It's so good!' Honestly, it made my heart warm to see their reactions to my touristy questions about this dish.

We were lucky to eat it with a local, our tour guide, who was delighted to hear that we'd prefer to try Koshary instead of anything else. I can't explain why this double-carb, double-legume dish is so satisfying, but it is. If you're in Egypt or have an opportunity to eat Koshary, I recommend you do.

Where does Koshary come from? In my research, I found a few perspectives, but the most likely is that a version of the rice, noodles, chickpeas, and lentils came first; the marinara and tomato salsa you might get came later. The cheap, filling dish represented a meal that could feed many at different resource levels. The overall dish has been around for a while - pre-Indian or English presence, though its popularity outside of Egypt seems to be a bit more recent. Today, it is considered a national dish.