In ancient Egypt, the ritual meal was organized around the "hetep" (the offering that appeases and satisfies). There was no separation of appetizer, main course, and dessert: bread in all its forms, beer in jars, fish from the river, sweet fruits, and honey sweets were all placed simultaneously on the stone table. After presentation to the divine, these foods — the "reversion of offerings" — were passed down to the priests and temple workers. For Anuket, goddess of the inundation, the abundance of the Nile structured everything: what the river gave, one gave back to it.

The emblematic pair of Egyptian cuisine: dried or grilled fish from the nourishing river, and the inseparable bread/beer duo (beer being a liquid fermented bread). For Anuket, whose floods filled the nets, fish is the direct gift of the goddess to her own table.