Domestic life and special occasions in Egypt
DOMESTIC LIFE
The Egyptian's lifestyle and domestic facilities are sharply defined by
class and gender. Modern ideas and technology have made great inroads in
the educational, economic, and agricultural spheres, but the roles of male
and female have changed little from ancient times. Upper-class women enjoy
higher education and the help of servants but seldom accompany their
husbands to restaurants or coffee-houses. Class is synonymous with wealth:
servants, appliances, and the hand labor of many Muslim wives in a
household (Muslim law allows a man four wives) indicate a family's status.
Fellaheen conditions parallel those of many in subsistence economies,
where most perishable foods are neither preserved nor stored but are
consumed locally and seasonally as they are available. For this reason
starvation may result when crops are poor.
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Since the majority of Egyptians are of Arabic origin (the Ayyubid, Muslim sect), Muslim feast days and fast days rule the Egyptian calendar. The small group of Egyptian Christians (about one and a half million) dating their lineage to the ancients celebrate Christian festivals. Proportionately smaller groups include Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Jews.
Feast days for the .fellaheen are marked whenever possible with the
inclusion of meat, which is usually ritually slaughtered with ceremony
fitting the occasion. The meat itself may be chicken, lamb, water buffalo
(although rarely because the animal is more valued for work and for milk),
and occasionally even a "very old camel – so tough it must be stewed for
days before it can be eaten ..." Since wheat breads are considered of the
finest quality, the inclusion of even some wheat flour into the daily
bread is considered a treat for many fellaheen.
For many, however, special feast days are marked not only by visits from
friends and relatives, but also by long days of preparation of the
specialty dishes. These include feta, a classic holiday dish of layered
bread, rice, and meats all moistened with rich garlic-flavored broth; esh
es saraya, the rich sweet made from bread crumbs, honey, and butter, and
served with ishta (whipped cream); heaping platters of mehshi, seasonal
vegetables (e.g. eggplants, zucchini, peppers) stuffed with savory rice
and meat mixtures; and variations of garnished sweetened couscous. The
most dramatic dish of all, worthy of any festive occasion, is ferakh bel
borghul. This is prepared by stuffing chickens with farik, or rice, then
poaching them to tenderness and browning them to crispness and finally
cooking them inside a boned turkey or lamb. With great ceremony the
chickens are extracted as the awesome piece de resistance, then carved in
small pieces for the diners.