In his newest cookbook My Egypt, the restaurateur offers an innovative and deeply personal introduction to the cuisine of his birthplace.
, our passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe, celebrating our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every month, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.
Michael Mina: When I opened my first restaurant, Aqua, in 1991, it was an all-fish restaurant—not Japanese or Italian or any one cuisine, but just a fish restaurant. It wasn’t the time for me to turn to Egypt, in part because I don’t think people would have understood a Middle Eastern-style restaurant at that time. In all honesty, I grew up with a mentality of not wanting to be different. I moved from Egypt when I was two years old to the center of Washington state, basically to a farm town.
It’s really the same with any cuisine. Why is saffron risotto so great? Because when it’s made right, it’s the best. That’s their koshari, right? When I’m flying home, the first call I make after booking my flight is to my mom, saying that I want koshari. That’s how much I obsess over it—it’s just pure comfort, and the layers that go into it make it really delicious.
Egyptians love to laugh, to socialize, to argue, to negotiate, and all those things combined mean community—people sitting around a table. In the mornings, you’ll find ful medames carts everywhere, and you sit down with your pickles and breads and just join tables. In the book, I talk about sweet potatoes as a winter phenomenon, roasted in smokers and served in their skins, sometimes with honey . Now, in New York, it might be a hot dog stand, but in Cairo that’s what they do.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Michael Mina's new oceanfront restaurant goes back to his Egyptian rootsPlus, a colorful new tea room takes root, some of the East Coast's top lobster rolls expand to L.A., a wine bar debuts inside a local landmark, and more.
Read more »
Nicole Kidman really wants to work with Paul Thomas Anderson and Michael HanekeNicole Kidman wants to work with Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Haneke, and Martin Scorsese, 'if he does a film with women.'
Read more »
Jey Uso, Unhappy With WrestleMania 40 Match, Wants Wants A Rematch With Brother JimmyJey Uso says he has a bad taste in his mouth about WrestleMania 40 and wants another match with his brother Jimmy.
Read more »
Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Pushes Release to October 2025The Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael,' starring the King of Pop's nephew Jafaar Jackson, will arrive in October 2025.
Read more »
The 2024 choice on regulation: Trump wants America unleashed, Harris wants it strangledDonald Trump wants to let Americans dynamism off the leash; Kamala Harris wants to smother it.
Read more »
Inside the New Regent Santa Monica Beach, the Area’s Most Glamorous Hotel Star-studded standouts include a restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Mina and an outpost of Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July.
Read more »