Traditionally, Egyptian cooking has been best practiced and enjoyed at home, where generations of unrecorded family recipes have been the sustaining repetoire for daily meals as well as sumptuous holiday feasts. Abou El Sid, one of Cairo's most famous restaurants, has become well known for its authentic Egyptian dishes, and now presents more than fifty of its most classic recipes in a cookbook for the enjoyment of home cooks all over the world. Egyptians will recognise their favourites, from holiday dishes such as fettah to the arrays of appetizers like aubergine with garlic, special lentils and tahina; those new to Middle Eastern food will find the recipes simple and simply delicious, and enjoy the Egyptian table even if they don't have the heritage of the pharaohs in their family backgrounds.