Amina’s Taamiyah (Egyptian Falafel)

Taamiyah, the Egyptian version of falafel, is one of Egypt’s much loved street foods. 

My father is Egyptian – and my mother is actually Korean. They met in Riyadh in the 1970s when they were both working as expats in Saudi Arabia – my mother as a nurse and my father as an accountant. Their marriage was a mixed marriage which they say was actually quite common at the time when Saudi Arabia was opening up to the outside world and lots of expats and cultures mixed together. Mum is a convert. Islam didn’t really exist in Korea when she was growing up but she learned a lot about it living in Saudi and meeting my dad.

For me, it’s a great privilege having the two different heritages and the opportunity to visit extended family in both countries and I think for my parents it’s been enriching too. Dad does lots of interfaith work and is the lead Chaplain for NSW (New South Wales) Health and for UTS, The University of Technology Sydney.

I love travelling and have been lucky enough to travel to Egypt on many occasions, largely visiting family but also doing the historical sites and travelling down the Nile. Dad’s family come from Alexandria which has a fascinating history and mix of cultures: from ancient Egypt (pharaonic) to Greek, Italian, Turkish, French and British. 

I have fond memories of the taamiyah sellers wandering through the suburban streets of Alexandria in Egypt calling out to the residents in the morning. The carts would be topped with a large pile of freshly cooked taamiyah, soft flat bread, an assortments of pickles and both tahini and chili sauces. I could sometimes pick out if I was nearing a taamiyah stall because the scent of the deep-fried spices and aromatics would drift through the streets making me so hungry. Although cheap, relative to other street foods taamiyah certainly keeps the hunger at bay with great flavour and texture. 

It also poses the endless argument of which version is better: taamiyah or falafel? 

To explain the differences in more detail, falafel is the Northern Middle Eastern version predominantly made of chickpeas and gently flavoured with aromatics and spices – creating a light-coloured interior. Taaimyah, on the other hand, is unique to Egypt and has a famous vibrant green interior as it is made from fava beans, heavily seasoned with aromatics and spices and usually blended with a good amount of fresh coriander and parsley. The common spices are ground cumin and ground coriander and the common aromatics are garlic and onions. 

Unfortunately, I was never able to learn my grandmother’s recipe but my recipe is based on my memories (sight, smell and taste) of the commonly made taamiyah I’ve had in Egypt. I’ve tweaked the recipe many times to get it just right.  My father tells me that it tastes very much like what he used to enjoy back home – and that’s good enough for me. 

Amina El Shafei

May 2021