From endless matcha variations to the viral Dubai chocolate & Om Khaled’s B Laban kabsa, this is 2024 at a glance.
At the end of every year, as we shuffle hurriedly through unfinished tasks and barely fulfilled resolutions, we’re often overtaken by a sense of nostalgia. Despite never-ending to-do lists, there seems to be this incessant urge to stop whatever it is we’re doing and reflect on the past year - its highs, its lows and its winding oddities.
Now, while for some of us this may come in the form of long heartfelt journal entries, for us it’s about looking back at this year’s strangest culinary concoctions. In that regard, 2024 was a very, very eventful year.
B Laban Adds a Fooling Foul Dessert to Its Menu
Seems like an eternity ago, doesn't it? In January 2024, B Laban kicked off the year in their compulsorily quirky fashion with a dessert that's essentially ‘Roz b Laban covered in caramel-drenched popcorn that, well, looks too much like foul.
Zooba Unveils the Holy Trinity of Halabissa, Halabangar & Halasobia
With an innate understanding that the true Egyptian experience calls for Halabissa rather than a cup of hot cocoa to warm up the cooler days, Zooba dropped three new winter-warming drinks: a classic ‘Halabissa’, a ‘Halabangar’ (hummus sham with, yep, beetroot) and a ‘Halasobia’ (a coconut-infused hummus sham).
Gärten Introduces Falafel Pizza for Ramadan
In the spirit of celebratory suhoor, Gärten dished out all types of ta’meya, discs embedded with pastrami, Kiri cheese, mozzarella, and more. The real star of the show, however, was their falafel pizza, one we hope to see again next year (sorry, Italians).
L’amandine Puts Yameesh in Pavlovas
When a dish merges an Australian Pavlova with Egyptian yameesh for a Ramadan treat, you know it's unique. French-style bakery L'amandine served up Yameesh Pavlova for the holy month, making our Iftars just a bit sweeter with multicultural flavours (say yes to diversity!).
Fôu by Farah’s Ramadan Menu Includes Molasses Halva Focaccia
For Ramadan, artisanal bakery Fôu fell nothing short of miraculous, with delicate pastries that wowed guests at every gathering. What really struck home, though, was the patisserie's more savoury treat, the molasses halva focaccia, a delicious fusion of Egyptian and Italian cuisine baked beautifully into a harmonious treat.
EBY Bakehouse Introduces ‘Le Sakalans’ Ramadan Dessert
Kunafa this, kunafa that - what happens when you get bored of the golden Ramadan dessert? EBY Bakehouse crafted a festive dessert that's more innovative this year, in the form of a classic halawa-heavy ‘sakalans’ sandwich turned into a cake. It was nothing like Zizo Natana, if you were wondering.
Bouchée Makes Basbousa Éclairs
Bouchée’s Basbousa Eclairs transformed the heady decadence of this classic Egyptian dessert with the sweet style of traditional French pastry. What does that make? Tender, crumbly sweets that have all the basbousa flavour we love packed into the long, slender shape of a classic eclair, with a delicate ribbon of cream on top that would make any Parisian patisserie proud.
Bayouki Stuffs Rotisserie Chicken with Vine Leaves
It's a classic enough meal, no? I mean, it's just chicken and ‘wara’ ‘enab’ - but no, it's vine leaves stuffed into your rotisserie chicken. Different as it is, it's just as delicious.
El Malky Steals the Show with Kunafa Pyramids
If there's one thing that could make us tap into our patriotism, it's definitely kunafa. Recognising that truth, El Malky built its crunchy kunafa into a pyramid back in Ramadan, and filled it with flavours like chocolate, mango, pistachio, toffee and dates.
Coppermelt’s Shay b Laban Kunafa Was at Every Other Ramadan Gathering
Milk tea and kunafa are Ramadan classics, so it's no wonder that when Coppermelt fused the two into one treat where the sweet crunch of kunafa harmonizes magically with the creamy essence of tea, it went viral.
B Laban Drops the ‘Salankateh’
Ah, yes. Another B Laban eftekasa - who could've possibly guessed? This innovative dessert starts with a base layer of crème brûlée, topped generously with ‘qashtoota’ and crowned with crispy, melt-in-your-mouth kunafa.
New Cairo's Ibn El Sham Adds Fish Shawarma to Their Menu
Created from fish fillet stacked on a shawarma rod, compressed, heated up and peeled off to make its way into the tahini bed of a Syrian shawarma wrap, the new concoction is exactly like a regular shawarma wrap. Just a lot fishier.
Buffalo Burgers Puts Patties in… Croissants?
Just when we thought all the croissant creations had been exhausted, Egypt’s Buffalo Burger dared to strike. Introducing a brand new burger variation aptly named ‘The Croburg’, the Egyptian fast food chain hopped on the croissant craze.
Fati’s Makes Sweet Potato Doughnuts
While sweet potatoes - in all their glorious forms and factors - are indeed a winter staple across Egyptian households, the notion of sweet potato crème brûlée doughnuts is not one we were familiar with. That is, of course, until Fati’s came up with it in their never-tiring odd-concoction lab.
Tabali Drops Viral ‘Dubai Chocolate’ Baladi Bread Sandwiches
Egypt’s oriental bistro Tabali has whipped up a mixture of pistachio chocolate kunafa spread and packed it up inside tiny and demure baladi bread loaves, which are then given the proper oven treatment for that extra crunch.
New Cairo’s Delizia Gelato Now Makes Tiramisu Hot Chocolate
Bringing tiramisu hot chocolate to Egypt for the very first time, Delizia Gelato - the New Cairo destination for all things gelato, sweet and caffeinated - added crème brûlée, chocolate flakes and coffee powder to a traditional cup of hot cocoa to make it, well, not so traditional. Unorthodox as it is, it still comes with marshmallows.
Reign of the Crookies
2024 gave us the romance we didn't know we needed, and no I’m not talking about Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan or your summer situationship. This is a romance that will actually stand the test of time - one between crisp croissants and soft cookies. The treat was brought to Egypt by a number of bakeries, like EBY Bakehouse, Cult, TBS, Nude Bakery, Fati’s, Weirdough, Bouchée and Fornalia.
Dec 29, 2024
Dec 29, 2024
