Search
Brazil
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
French Guiana
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Denmark
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
Poland
Portugal
the United Kingdom
the Czech Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Canada
the United States
Mexico
the Dominican RepublicTurkey
South AfricaEgypt
Australia
Fiji
New Zealand
Papua New GuineaFlavors · Egypt
Young pigeon stuffed with rice or fireek (green wheat), with onion and giblets, cooked in broth and then roasted or grilled until the skin browns. A classic on Egyptian tables, it is usually served in pairs.
Traditional dish from Egypt
Also known as: Hamam mahshy, حمام محشي
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Click a photo to enlarge it.
Hamam mahshi — Egypt
Hamam mahshi is made with young pigeons, small and dark-meated. The birds are stuffed with rice or with fireek, wheat harvested while still green, mixed with onion, chopped giblets and seasonings.
Preparation has two stages. First, the stuffed pigeons cook in a broth until tender; then they go into the oven or onto the grill so the skin becomes golden and crispy. The stuffing absorbs the flavor of the bird and the broth.
Egypt’s official tourism describes hamam mahshi as an Egyptian classic and notes that it is usually served in pairs. It is served at celebrations and special occasions, and it also appears on menus at Egyptian restaurants. The bones are small and numerous, and many people eat it with their hands.
Pigeons are part of Egypt’s rural landscape. In many villages there are tall earthen dovecotes with openings where the birds enter and leave, built to raise them, and hamam mahshi is the best-known way these birds are brought to the table.
Egypt
Stuffed pigeon, a classic of tables across Egypt.
Young pigeons, rice or fireek (green wheat), onion, chopped giblets and seasonings; broth for cooking.
Hot, usually served in pairs, with the stuffing. Eaten with hands or with utensils, separating the meat from the small bones.
Celebrations, special occasions and meals at Egyptian restaurants.
Your questions
It is wheat harvested while still green, one of the traditional stuffings for hamam mahshi. The other common stuffing is rice.
Hot, with the stuffing, usually two pigeons per serving. The bones are small, and many people eat it with their hands.
In many villages, families raise pigeons in tall earthen dovecotes. The birds are part of the country’s cuisine, and hamam mahshi is the best-known dish made with them.
Flavors of Egypt
Layers of toasted bread moistened with broth, rice and a garlic, vinegar and tomato sauce, topped with cooked meat. It’s the Eid al-Adha dish in Egypt and also appears at Coptic Easter and other family celebrations.
A multi-layered puff pastry made with samna, the clarified butter, baked until golden and crisp. It’s eaten plain, with honey, molasses or ashta, or with savory fillings; traditionally baked in clay ovens.
Slow-cooked dried fava beans until tender, partly mashed and seasoned with oil, cumin, lemon and garlic. It’s the most common breakfast in Egypt, served with baladi bread in homes, small restaurants and street carts.
Round buttery cookie, dusted with powdered sugar, plain or filled with ajameya (honey and walnuts), dates, or pistachio. It’s the sweet of Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan, prepared at home or bought at bakeries and patisseries.
Rice, short pasta, lentils and chickpeas, topped with tomato sauce and crispy fried onions, served with garlic vinegar and a spicy sauce on the side. It is Egypt’s most popular everyday dish, sold in specialty shops and street carts, and was inscribed by UNESCO on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2025.
Thick green soup made from very finely chopped jute leaves, cooked in broth and seasoned with toasted garlic and coriander. Served with rice or bread, often with chicken or rabbit, it is for many Egyptians the quintessential home dish.
Fried patty made from ground dried fava beans and herbs, crunchy on the outside and soft inside. It’s the Egyptian version of falafel and, together with ful medames, forms Egypt’s most common breakfast, often served in a baladi bread sandwich.
Beef liver cut into thin strips and quickly fried with garlic and bell pepper, seasoned with cumin and lemon. It’s named after Alexandria and is served as a sandwich on the city’s thin bread, with tahini.
A dark-red drink made from dried hibiscus calyces steeped in water, with a tart flavor, sweetened and served cold or hot. In the Aswan region, among the Nubians, it is the welcome drink offered to arriving guests.
