In Egyptian elite households, meals were not divided into starter, main course, and dessert. The day began with a light meal of bread and beer, while the main evening meal brought together wheat breads, meats and fish, vegetables, and fruits, all set out together on mats or low tables. Above all stood the *hetep*: the offering table where bread, goose, beer, and fruits were placed for the gods and the dead. The festive banquet multiplied sweet-and-savory dishes, strong beer, and lotus garlands. The structure reads vertically: from the frugal daily meal to the abundance offered to the powers.

Elite Egyptian cuisine loved to blend sweet into savory: wild honey, dates, figs, and carob glazed meats, leavened breads, and perfumed beer. This was the mark of a wealthy table, while the common people made do with emmer bread and onion.