Three Egyptian Creatives Just Made a Tablecloth Out of Wara' Enab

In the conceptual storytelling project ‘Mansouj’, wara' enab take on a new form—no longer a dish set upon the table, but the tablecloth itself.

The video, created in partnership with Egyptian label Gozoour, speaks to the sacred ritual of rolling wara' enab, or grape vine leaves, that is passed down from mother to daughter. “These gestures are torath (heritage), passed down through hands rather than books,” concept designer and creative director Mena Helmy, who worked on this piece alongside Yasmine Hammamy and Nour Elshabrawy, said. The three women are a team of culinary artistic designers “that use food as a medium of expression.”

‘Mansouj’ means ‘woven’, Helmy explained, a name that “embodies the invisible threads connecting us to our heritage, the way these rituals live quietly within us, shaping who we are.”

“Wara' enab felt like the perfect medium because it is deeply tied to our culture, yet often overlooked,” Hammamy, who worked on the project’s culinary research and narrative support, explained. “Each leaf, rolled by hand, carries patience and rhythm. It’s a connection between generations, a mother teaching a daughter, a gesture repeated across time.”

While rolling wara' enab is a staple of many Arab households, each family often has their own slight variation on how to carefully fold each tangy leaf over sticky rice. Even rolling techniques among family members may differ. That dedicated labour is front and centre in the ‘Mansouj’ narrative—both in the creation of the tablecloth and vest, and the final story on screen.

“The weaving took 16 hours, and in that time, the process became a reflection of the hours, patience, and attention traditionally spent rolling vine leaves,” product designer Shabrawy said. “Each intertwined leaf mirrored the careful repetition and dedication embedded in this act, making the labour itself part of the narrative. The tablecloth and vest became living symbols of heritage.”

Helmy added that Gozoour’s philosophy aligned with ‘Mansouj’ in “honouring roots, valuing craftsmanship, and creating locally with intention.”

“Their work bridges contemporary design with authentic Egyptian [clothing], which inspired how we approached the project,” she said.

Helmy pointed to the clothing worn in the video—the mother adorned in an “authentically sourced” galabeya, and the daughter in a Gozoour dress, later topped with a woven vest made of warak einab. “The woven vest carries an additional layer of symbolism: rolling vine leaves isn’t just something we do, it’s something we are, mansoujed within us.”