Hawawshi
A spiced ground-meat-stuffed bread that's genuinely modern, not ancient, despite often being described vaguely as traditional: it was invented in 1971 by a Cairo butcher named Ahmed al-Hawawsh at Souk Al-Tawfik, and the dish is named directly after him (an alternate theory ties the name to 'hawash,' Egyptian Arabic for 'to stuff'). Real hawawshi packs spiced ground beef into baladi bread and cooks the whole thing directly, traditionally in a wood-fired oven, so the bread crisps around the meat and actually absorbs its fat — the crisping is the real authenticity marker, and a version that just bakes a sandwich without that direct contact misses the point.
⚠ Contains: Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 4 rounds baladi (pita) bread
- 500g ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- Parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- Oil, for brushing
Steps
- Mix the ground beef with the onion, pepper, parsley, and spices.
- Split each bread round open like a pocket and pack tightly with the meat mixture.
- Brush the outside with oil.
- Bake or grill directly on a hot surface until the bread is deeply crisp and the meat is cooked through, flipping once.
- Slice and serve hot.