Gordon Ramsay’s Egypt Street-Food Pick Is Getting Harder to Afford

  • Carb-heavy koshary has been national favorite for decades
  • Meal has been caught up in spiraling inflation of basic goods
A dish of koshary in a Cairo restaurant.Photographer: Michael Gunn/Bloomberg

Not even Egypt’s cheap and cheerful national dish, beloved by everyone from street-sweepers to TV chef Gordon Ramsay, is proving immune to the country’s economic turmoil.

Carb-heavy and meat-free, koshary has sustained cash-strapped Egyptians through trying times for decades. The recipe is simple: take a generous heap of boiled rice, pasta and lentils, top with fried onions and douse in a garlicky tomato sauce with a splash of vinegar.