Traditionally, Egyptian cooking has been best practiced and enjoyed at home, where generations of unrecorded family recipes have been the sustaining repertoire for daily meals as well as sumptuous holiday feasts. Abou El Sid, one of Cairo’s most famous restaurants, has become well known for its authentic Egyptian dishes, and now presents more than fifty of its most classic recipes in a cookbook for the enjoyment of home cooks all over the world.

Egyptians will recognize their favorites, from holiday dishes such as Fettah to the arrays of appetizers like aubergine with garlic, special lentils, and tahina; those new to Middle Eastern food will find the recipes simple and simply delicious, and enjoy the Egyptian table even if they don’t have the heritage of the pharaohs in their family backgrounds.

– 57 authentic Egyptian recipes from starters to main courses to desserts.

– Each recipe illustrated with gorgeous, full color photographs.

– Beautifully designed and visually sumptuous boutique book.

The guide described by The New York Times as “indispensable,” newly researched and completely rewritten for 2011, fills a vital niche for expatriates and Cairenes alike who need a helping hand to organize—and enjoy—the challenges of a sojourn in Cairo. The basics of daily life—finding a flat, transporting personal goods, investigating school options for children, navigating Egypt’s famous bureaucracy, and the intricacies of feeding and clothing oneself and one’s family from the local market—are all detailed here. Advice gathered from a wide range of Cairo insiders, both native and foreign, gives the reader a cornucopia of current facts on prices, neighborhoods, product availability, work and business opportunities, and the dizzying range of cultural and leisure pursuits that Cairo is famous for.  Cairo: The Practical Guide, now in its seventeenth edition, is the key to deciphering the complexities of living, working, and enjoying life in one of the world’s most exciting and dauntingly complex mega-cities.