Cairo's Koshary Festival Was a Reckless Display of Carbs

There was never a doubt in anyone's mind as to why dozens of chefs would want to come to Cairo to cook a massive pile of carbohydrates. It was done, as many things are done here, simply "for Egypt."

In the upscale neighborhood of Zamalek on Saturday, 50 chefs gathered to display their work: eight tons of pasta, tomato sauce, lentils, chickpeas, vinegar, and deep-fried onions heaped onto a fiberglass "plate" in the middle of a park.

The goal was to set the Guinness world record for the world's largest koshary, and that they did. It is yet another prize in Egypt's strange collection of Guinness records, including the most blood glucose tests taken in 24 hours (8,600) by the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Students Federation; the most two-fingered pushups in one minute (46 in 49 seconds) by Mohammed Mohammed Ali Zeinhom; and the highest jump out of water wearing a monofin by Soliman Sayed (2 meters).

The cooking was overseen by Abu Tarek, the proprietor an eponymous downtown restaurant that has been serving koshary since 1950, which is beloved by Egyptians both inside and outside of Cairo. "He goes for freshness and taste. That's why it's the most successful koshary place in the country," said chef Marcus J. Iten of the Egyptian Chef's Association. "And he only has one outlet!"

Alongside tameya—Egypt's variation on falafel—and the mashed fava bean paste known as foul, koshary is inexpensive and widely available in the streets of Egypt. At its most basic, koshary is a mixture of rice, chickpeas, lentils, and small, round pasta. ("They call it 'macaroni,'" Iten said. "Everything is 'macaroni' in this country, but it isn't.") It's topped with a vinegary and garlicky tomato sauce and deep-fried onions. Meat—usually chicken, lamb, or beef—is sometimes added, too.

Often sold for less than one American dollar, koshary is eaten by the rich and poor alike, but it is most popular with Egypt's working classes. At that price, nearly anyone can afford a meal that packs anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 calories. "If you haven't got any money, you can survive for years on koshary," said Iten. "It gives you all the nutrients, but it also gives you some padding."

The history of koshary is unclear. One story goes that during a prosperous period in the early 20th century, Egyptians simply invented a kitchen-sink dish that utilized their excess stock of pasta, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

But the chefs at Saturday's koshary festival thought that story was ridiculous. "That's an urban legend," said chef El Aoudi. Iten noted that archeologists have found mixtures similar to the basic ingredients of koshary that date back hundreds of years. "Pasta was done by the Arabs before the Italians, and earlier the Chinese," he argued.

The festival itself was a uniquely Egyptian affair: thronged with people and disorganized to an almost anarchic level, with a gleefully reckless energy in the air. An odd assortment of celebrities was in attendance, including Shaabi singer Shaaban Abdel Raheem, who is noted for the song "Ana bakrah Israel" ("I hate Israel"), and a comedy actor known for his long mustache, which he plasters into two long spikes on either side of his face. They were joined by a man with a horn-like zebiba prayer scar who sang nationalistic songs about koshary and President Abdel Fattah el Sisi ("Koshary is Beautiful! Sisi is Beautiful!").

Tarek, the son of Abu Tarek, stood beneath the tent where the koshary platform was located, inexplicably thronged by hulking bodyguards. Journalists and onlookers jostled against a barricade of chairs and more bodyguards to get a glimpse of Abu Tarek and Abdel Raheem, while the chefs took turns wrapping their feet in plastic wrap and hygienically wading through the multiple tons of pasta. Attendants snapped selfies with a mime and men variously dressed as Spiderman, Batman, an astronaut, and even Clorets gum.

By the end of the day, the grounds of the festival were littered with trash. The mob had knocked into a massive inflatable jar of tomato paste, which slowly crumpled to the ground. Svelte, suited judges from Guinness World Records Company stood idly next to the stage as the small platoon of chefs unloaded the last few trays of pasta, rice, and lentils onto the platform. Tubs of tomato sauce were poured over the mixture, and a man wearing a spacesuit made of reflective fabric glided over the koshary, tossing handfuls of deep-fried onions from a burlap sack to finish the dish. After portions were handed out to attendees, the rest was packed away to hand out to Cairo's street kids and working poor.

Egypt walked away with another strange world record—a record for something that only Egypt does, but a record nonetheless.