The popular Egyptian meal is not divided into starter-main-dessert: everything arrives on the same low mat, around a base of legumes and baladi bread. Ful (fava beans) opens the day for the fellah as well as the president; savory dishes are shared in the center; fermented cheeses and preserves sit in a corner for lean days; and sweets or the red karkadé drink close or punctuate the gathering. Nasser, son of a postal clerk from Beni Mor, kept this village table his whole life — where one eats together, by hand and with bread.

Roasted cumin is the fragrant soul of Nile cuisine: it transforms the simple fava bean into ful, the national dish. A drizzle of oil, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of kammoun — all of popular Egypt is contained in this gesture.