UNESCO on Wednesday recognised Egypt's favourite daily dish as intangible cultural heritage, to the delight of Egyptians digging into the spicy staple at every corner.
"We grew up eating koshary in plastic bags. It's a heritage we grew up with," Emad Yassin, an Egyptian, told AFP during the lunch rush of a popular downtown Cairo joint, Koshary Abou Tarek.
The budget-friendly, carb-loaded bowl of noodles, rice, lentils and fried onions doused in a blazing hot sauce is a culinary staple in the Arab world's most populous country.
In corner shops across the country, mountains of noodles, rice, and lentils are piled high in adjoining pots. With choreographed precision, vendors ladle scoop, after scoop, after scoop at lightning speed.
Passed down generations
They pour tomato sauce all over, sprinkle fried onions, and then leave it to each customer to season to taste: blazing hot sauce and tangy garlic-vinegar drizzle.
The humble meal has been passed down generations in many forms -- varying by region -- for centuries.
It wasn't until the mid-20th century that noodles were added to even further "cut costs after the price of rice skyrocketed," food archaeologist and archaeobotanist Mennat-Allah El Dorry told AFP.
The dish's precise origin is not known, but "versions of koshary can be found all along the trade route from India to Egypt," El Dorry said.
In Egypt, it has become an urban staple over the past century and a half, as metropolises grew and city workers needed quick, cheap and filling meals.
