Hawawshi...the pleasure of eating in Egypt 🥙

 

 

Table of Contents

 

- Introduction to Hawawshi

- The History and Origin of Hawawshi

  - How Hawawshi Got Its Name

  - Hawawshi's Humble Street Food Beginnings

- Hawawshi Ingredients and Preparation

  - The Hawawshi Dough

  - Stuffing Options for Hawawshi

    - Meat Stuffings

    - Vegetable Stuffings

  - Assembling and Cooking Hawawshi

- The Hawawshi Eating Experience

  - Finding the Best Hawawshi in Egypt

  - Customizing Your Hawawshi

    - Choosing Your Base

    - Picking Your Toppings

  - The Social Aspect of Eating Hawawshi

- The Rising Popularity of Hawawshi

  - Hawawshi Goes Mainstream

  - Hawawshi Around the World

- Making Hawawshi at Home

  - Tips for Making Great Hawawshi Dough

  - Delicious Hawawshi Stuffing Recipes

  - Common Mistakes to Avoid

- The Health Benefits of Hawawshi

- In Conclusion

- FAQs about Hawawshi

 

Introduction to Hawawshi

 

Hawawshi is an Egyptian street food that has captured the hearts and taste buds of locals and tourists alike. Known for its addictive combination of flavors, unique textures, and hearty ingredients, hawawshi sandwiches are the ultimate Egyptian comfort food. 🥙

 

The History and Origin of Hawawshi

 

 How Hawawshi Got Its Name

 

The name "hawawshi" comes from the Egyptian Arabic word for "stuffed", referring to the sandwich's distinctive stuffed bread. Some believe the name also derives from the word "hawashi", meaning blacksmith or ironworker. This connects to hawawshi's origins as a high-protein street food for working-class Egyptians who needed hearty, inexpensive meals.

 

 Hawawshi's Humble Street Food Beginnings

 

Hawawshi traces its origins back over a century to Egypt's bustling streets, where vendors would set up carts selling these stuffed flatbreads to factory workers, craftsmen, and laborers. The convenience, affordability, and sustenance of hawawshi made it a popular "worker's meal". Its reputation and popularity grew through word of mouth. Today, specialty hawawshi shops thrive all over Egypt, some gaining worldwide fame!

 

Hawawshi Ingredients and Preparation

 

The two key components of hawawshi are the savory stuffed bread base and delicious extras and toppings.

 

 The Hawawshi Dough

 

Traditional hawawshi starts with a simple dough of flour, water, salt, and yeast. The dough is kneaded until smooth and elastic, then rolled out thin. Cooks then layer on a flavorful stuffing.

 

 Stuffing Options for Hawawshi

 

Hawawshi stuffings vary from meaty favorites to hearty veggie blends. Popular options include:

 

 Meat Stuffings

- Ground beef and lamb - The most popular stuffing, mixed with onions, tomato, parsley, spices

- Chunks of grilled meat - Like shawarma chicken or kofta lamb patties

- Sausage or hot dogs - Local sausages or hot dogs lend great flavor

 

 Vegetable Stuffings

- Ful medammes - Made from fava beans, this is a common vegetarian stuffing 

- Potato and onion - Simple, savory and satisfying

- Spinach and cheese - For a rich, cheesy veggie version

 

 Assembling and Cooking Hawawshi

 

Once stuffed, the hawawshi is carefully sealed and slapped onto the hot convex griddle of the hawawshi cooker, then flipped and cooked on both sides until the dough is fully cooked and has distinctive char marks.

 

The Hawawshi Eating Experience

 

Beyond its scrumptious taste, part of what makes hawawshi so enjoyable is the entire hawawshi eating ritual.

 

 Finding the Best Hawawshi in Egypt

 

Ask any Egyptian and they'll direct you to their favorite hawawshi spot, proudly claiming it's the "best in town". Alexandria and Cairo are particularly renowned for their mouthwatering hawawshi. 😋

 

 Customizing Your Hawawshi

 

One of the best things about hawawshi is customizing it to your preferences. 

 

 Choosing Your Base

The most common is classic pita-like Egyptian "baladi" bread. But you can also get inventive bases like french bread, foccacia, tortilla wraps, or even hamburger buns!

 

 Picking Your Toppings

After choosing your base, you pick from a wide array of toppings like hummus, baba ghanoush, salads, pickles, cheese, chili sauce, and more. Get creative with combinations!

 

 The Social Aspect of Eating Hawawshi

 

In Egypt, eating hawawshi is a social affair, with friends and family gathered around to customize their sandwiches, chat, sip tea, and blissfully savor each bite. It's leisurely, relaxed, and part of Egypt's culture.

 

The Rising Popularity of Hawawshi

 

Recently, hawawshi has exploded in popularity both in Egypt and globally.

 

 Hawawshi Goes Mainstream

 

Today in Egypt you'll find specialty hawawshi chains expanding rapidly. Trendy cafes serve gourmet hawawshi options. Upscale restaurants even offer hawkawshi tacos, pizzas, and more. It's gone mainstream while retaining its authenticity and appeal.

 

 Hawawshi Around the World

 

As Egyptian cuisine gains global fame, foodies abroad are catching on to hawawshi's scrumptiousness. You can now eat amazing hawawshi in the UK, the US, France, Canada, Australia, and beyond. From food trucks and hole-in-the-wall eateries to gourmet takes on this Egyptian street food, hawawshi's popularity grows every day.

 

Making Hawawshi at Home 

 

Want to recreate this Egyptian food sensation in your kitchen? Here are some pro tips! 

 

 Tips for Making Great Hawawshi Dough

 

- Use a blend of bread and all-purpose flours for a perfect texture 

- Knead thoroughly so the dough becomes silky smooth

- Rest the rolled-out dough before stuffing to prevent shrinking

- Use a very hot skillet and don't skimp on oil for crispy char marks

 

 Delicious Hawawshi Stuffing Recipes

 

Ground Beef Stuffing 

 

```

- 1 lb ground beef 

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 tomatoes, diced

- Parsley, chopped

- Oil, salt, pepper and spices to taste

```

 

Ful Medammes Stuffing

 

```

- Cooked ful mudammas

- Lemon juice

- Olive oil

- Chili flakes

- Chopped parsley 

 

```

 

 Common Mistakes to Avoid

 

- Insufficient kneading or resting of the dough - leads to rips when stuffing

- Not spreading stuffing evenly before sealing - creates lumps and uneven cooking 

- Rushing cooking - leads to doughy interiors 

 

Making great hawawshi takes some practice, but oh oh-so worth it!

 

FAQs about Hawawshi

 

 What exactly is hawawshi?

 

Hawawshi is an Egyptian stuffed bread sandwich made with a dough similar to pita that is filled with meats, vegetables, cheeses or bean mixtures before being sealed and cooked on a hot griddle until both sides are slightly charred and the inside is fully cooked. The filling versions vary widely but typically include ingredients like ground beef or lamb, onions, tomatoes, parsley, spices, cheeses, fava beans, or even falafel. The stuffed dough forming the sandwich is the key component that the name hawawshi actually refers to, coming from an Arabic word meaning “stuffed”. Once stuffed, shaped into rounds or ovals, sealed tightly, and cooked to perfection, hawawshi sandwiches are loaded up with all types of toppings from pickles, salads, olives and tahini to chili sauces and yogurt blends.

 

 What are the origins of hawawshi? 

 

Hawawshi traces its origins back over 100 years to the bustling side streets of Egypt, especially Cairo and Alexandria. Vendors with small food carts would sell these hearty, homestyle stuffed sandwiches often made with inexpensive ingredients to provide sustenance and portable nourishment for blue collar workers with physically demanding jobs that required protein and calories. Factory employees, craftsmen like carpenters or metal workers, builders, laborers, mechanics and all types of trade workers could grab an affordable and convenient hawawshi for lunch on the go. News of these delicious “working man’s meals” spread by word of mouth over decades until hawawshi eventually went mainstream while retaining its humble beginnings and artisanal prep methods.

 

 Why has hawawshi become so popular recently?

 

Traditionally seen as Egyptian street food and worker’s sustenance, hawawshi was enjoyed for generations but remained in the category of informal, humble cuisine that had niche appeal. However, with the rising fame of Egyptian cuisine worldwide over the past decade due to greater cultural exposure through media and travel combined with several Egyptian restaurants and sandwich shops spreading internationally, the iconic hawawshi has rapidly gained global fans. Food critics, chefs, bloggers, journalists, celebrities and everyday foodies started to learn about and sample authentic Egyptian hawawshi, igniting an explosion of interest thanks to its absolutely delicious and craveable flavors. Everyone from Guy Fieri to Anthony Bourdain has spotlighted hawawshi in recent years. Both abroad and within Egypt, a new generation of eaters has also elevated hawawshi’s status through gourmet adaptations that use the classic as inspiration for inventive takes on the sandwich served in hip cafes, food trucks, fine dining establishments and more.

 

 What types of meat fillings are traditionally used in hawawshi?

 

The most common and traditional hawawshi fillings incorporate protein-rich ground meat that gives the sandwich its ultra-satisfying and hearty characteristics. Ground lamb and heavily seasoned beef are hands down among the top meat fillings that Egyptians grew up enjoying inside crisp and pillowy hawawshi dough. Typical spicing includes cumin, cayenne, black pepper and others. Onions are almost always sautéed into the meat mixture along with parsley and tomatoes for added moisture. Some versions use only beef or others incorporate a blend of both ground lamb and beef for more complexity of flavor. Chopped grilled chicken or Egyptian sausage links also make tasty fillings. More upscale, modern menus have even seen fillings made from steak tenderloin tips, foie gras, duck confit and more luxe proteins taking the classic to new levels. But traditional all-beef hawawshi still reigns supreme in its unfussiness and soul-warming deliciousness for the masses across Egypt.

 

 What are some classic vegetarian fillings for hawawshi?

 

While meat stuffings may get all the glory, Egyptians have long realized how perfectly suited hawawshi is to all kinds of delectable veggie-based fillings too. Some of the most popular and traditional plant-based fillings include ful medammes (made from slowly cooked fava beans), simmered then mashed potatoes with sautéed onions and greens, crumbled white cheese paired with omelette/egg mixtures, roasted vegetables like eggplants, bell peppers and chickpeas blended with olive oil and herbs, shredded spinach with ricotta or feta cheese and nutty brown rice seasoned with aromatic spices. More modern menus have seen even more experimental vegetarian stuffings of all types like Mexican-style beans, fully loaded avocado mash, pesto-doused cauliflower rice and more.

 

 How do you assemble and cook hawawshi?

 

Making hawawshi requires some skill, patience and specialized equipment but essentially involves first separately preparing the dough base and intended filling. Once the components are ready, a batch of dough is rolled out until very thin. Even rectangles are then cut out and fillings are spread evenly over one half of each before the other bare half is folded to encase the filling completely. The edges are pressed and sealed very tightly so no stuffing leaks out. These stuffed dough packets are then slapped onto an intensely hot convex griddle and cooked on both sides with added oil/ghee until the exterior develops slight char marks and the dough fully cooks through. They are pressed rhythmically with a spatula while cooking to prevent over-browning. Other key aspects are ensuring an evenly distributed thickness of stuffing so no weak points develop in the dough seal and managing heat levels masterfully. Traditional hawawshi griddles curved shape optimizes how the sandwiches cook versus flat grilling.

 

 Why are there so many different spelling variants for hawawshi/hawawshi/hawashi?

 

Since hawawshi was born as traditional Egyptian street food over a century ago, it was not rooted in proper codification of recipes and terminology like you’d find in cookbooks. Everything was preserved and passed down in the form of casual oral tradition and handwritten jottings rather than published, edited culinary literature. Also, accepted rules of transliteration between Arabic scripts and Roman letters were not set in stone during earlier eras. Determining accurate phonetic spellings muddled the documentation of hawawshi’s name. The franchise of hawawshi shops that first packaged the dish for contemporary mainstream Egypt uses “Hawawshi” so this becomes the common standard. But many hear emphasis placed on different syllables, causing them to spell it “hawAwwshi” or “hawawshi” for instance. The origins remain identical no matter these spelling technicalities.

 

 What are some key tips for making great hawawshi dough at home? 

 

If seeking authentic, homemade results when preparing hawawshi dough instead of using store-bought pita or flatbread dough, it’s vital to...

- Use a mix of bread flour and higher protein all-purpose flour, allowing enough gluten development for good stretch and chew 

- Spend at least 10 minutes thoroughly kneading the dough until it becomes extremely smooth, elastic and passes the “windowpane test” held up to light

- Ensure rested dough has enough yield to withstand stuffing and sealing without excessive resistance or shrinking

- Take care not to overfill dough with stuffing such that it cannot seam closed effectively

- Use very high heat and adequate oil for optimal puffing and char mark exterior texture

 

 What are some common mistakes people make when creating hawawshi at home?

 

It’s easy to mess up homemade hawawshi if unfamiliar with the ideal textures and techniques involved. Some of the most common pitfalls are...

- Not kneading dough sufficiently or letting it rest adequately, causing ripping and failed seals when stuffing

- Neglecting to fully seal edges after overstuffing dough packets

- Cooking over too low a heat without enough oil to achieve crisping char exterior

- Flipping hawawshi too frequently versus steady pressing while griddling

- Allowing uneven thickness or distribution of fillings such that some hotspots burn 

- Puncturing dough exterior which makes it deflate versus inflate 

With practice, making professional-level hawawshi can certainly be picked up by competent home cooks. But this iconic Egyptian street food does have some nuances.

 

 What are some popular ways to customize hawawshi when eating out?

 

Beyond its scrumptious stuffed bread foundation, one of the best facets of hawawshi is how extensively it can be customized to suit anyone’s tastes. At casual hawawshi shops and carts across Egypt, choose between not only meat and veggie based fillings but also an array of bread options like classic baladi, french bread, tortillas, pizza dough, etc. Then sauce/top your creation with condiments like tahini, chili pastes, pickles, falafel crumbles, tomato jam, spiced yogurt blends, melted cheese, za’atar spice, and olive oil, or obscure house specialty sauces. Blend and match these components for perfect individualized hawawshi every time!

 

 Why do Egyptians feel such immense hometown pride over their local hawawshi shop?

 

Across all corners of Egypt from bustling Cairo to seaside Alexandria and beyond, ask any Egyptian where to get the best hawawshi in town and you’re guaranteed to hear boasting support of a specific local gem. Hawawshi shops tend to be family-owned establishments