Ancient Egyptian Foods

Below are all types of food that the ancient Egyptians had that I could dig up.  Originally this was a list I made for a living history Vacation Bible School, but this list could be used for all sorts of other purposes.

I started out trying to limit this to the foods that would have been available in Egypt in the time of Joseph and Moses, but when these event occurred is highly debated among Biblical scholars and so really hard to nail down.   Also, sometimes I don't know when exactly a certain food/ingredient was used in Egypt, just that it was used at some point. 

NOTE ABOUT DATES:  We don't have definite dates for when Joseph and Moses lived, but since the story of Moses mentions chariots, which were not in Egypt until they were taken over by the Hyksos (in the 2nd Intermediate Period between the Middle and New Kingdom), we can limit it to, at earliest, Late Middle Kingdom, or some time after that, but most likely before 1000 BCE.   

FOR VBS VOLUNTEERS:  I've  included some things for historical interest that would not be feasible to use during VBS (don’t worry, I’m not suggesting serving wine or beer, or trying to hunt down papyrus root, which besides being hard to find is now endangered).  



RECIPES

Egyptian Bread and Tigernut Cone Sweets
This is similar to the other tigernut recipes below, but they model the Egyptian method of making them, based off of depictions in Egyptian murals, not just the recipe.

"Tigernut" Sweets   (Includes Walnuts - introduced in Greco-Roman Times)
"Tigernut" Sweets II  (Includes Walnuts - introduced in Greco-Roman Times)

Horchata With Actual Tigernuts (Note - skip the recipe for beer in the beginning.   The Horchata recipe is down below.  Tigernuts are sold now as a health food in some store so it might be possible to get them to make this recipe.  )

Tigernut Honey Cakes

Egyptian Palace Cake 

White Lotus Cakes   
Calls for actual lotus seeds, so this one might be harder to find, but would be a cool treat if you could find them. 

Egyptian Bread (Modern Adaption - with historical info) 
Very simple bread recipe. Article includes some other ancient recipes. 

Egyptian Beer Bread (made like Egyptians made it) 

Scroll to the end to find recipe.   Beer bakes out.  Lots of good info on Egyptian baking above.  

Ta'amia/Falafel (Bean Cakes)
While it's origins are disputed, some claim this dates back to the pharonic era of ancient Egypt.   Falafel today is usually made from chickpeas but in Egypt it would have been made from beans.

Tilapia Soup


Watermelon Seed Recipe
I read that Egyptians originally cultivated watermelons for their seeds, not to eat the flesh--an indication that early on they weren’t sweet like today, though around the time of Joseph it seems they may have cultivated a more palatable, if not totally sweet, variety.  While we don’t know for certain how they ate the seeds, I found this simple recipe which seems like something they might have done (it’s a middle Eastern recipe with ingredients they had then).  You de-seed watermelon served as a snack, and then later use the seeds to make this.  (Another version here doesn't mention drying seeds as long)

Dukkah Spice Blend
Ancient spice mixture that can be used to season meat, mixed with hummus, or used as a dip for bread.  (Scroll Down on Page for Recipe)

A Meal With Cleopatra
This contains four recipes.   The bread would have been something available at all times in Ancient Egypt.  The rest were intentionally supposed to represent the foods that would have been available at the time of Cleopatra, long after the Greeks had taken over Egypt, and when Rome had taken over what we now think of as Greece...so these recipes have Greek and Roman touches.   While the Greek and Roman influences on Egypt came long after Joseph would have been in Egypt, I think the Mersu with pistachio would be an interesting choice for the time of Joseph, since the Bible records that Joseph's brothers brought him gifts of pistachios (not a native Egyptian plant) on their second trip to Egypt (Gen 43:11), and this is a way that they could have been used in Egyptian cuisine. 

Pickles
The Egyptians made pickles by soaking cucumbers in vinegar, and mixing in spices to flavor them (kids could have fun making their own pickles with combinations of spices Egyptians had, listed further down on this page.)  (11)



WHAT INGREDIENTS/FOODS THEY HAD
You can use the ingredients below to find food for snacking or imagine other recipes they could have made (and might have). Remember that while they had a wide variety of foods available, they couldn't use them all at once because some things would only be available in certain seasons (you can find more info on seasonality at the bottom of this page).


BREADS AND GRAIN

• Bread (a main staple of the Egyptian Diet)

- made from emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum) and six-row barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. Hexastichum) (1)
- Bread was made from flour ground on grinding stones and mixed with water that was then kneaded and left to rise. The dough could be shaped in a flat loaf or baked in ceramic molds. (1)

Egyptians had trouble keeping sand out of their bread...we know this because of the way the bread they ate wore down their teeth.  (12)

DRINKS (5)

• Milk (from sheep, goat and cow)
• Water
• Beer (a main staple of diet)
• Wine (mostly from grapes, but also from pomegranate, grapes, and other fruit)
• Juices

MEAT (1)

• Cattle
• Chicken - used after Persian times, uncertain before that
• Duck
• Fish - primary source of meat for most Egyptians (included Nile perch, catfish, and mullets)
• Geese
• Goats
• Pigs
• Sheep
• Wild animals were hunted, mainly from the desert, and included wild cattle, addax, antelope, hartebeest, gazelle, ibex, Barbary sheep, oryx, and ostriches.  Wild birds were also hunted.  Hippo and crocodile were hunted mainly because they were dangerous. "In pharaonic times many of these desert fauna were hunted for sport by royalty and nobles; hunting dogs similar to the greyhound were used for this." (1)

DAIRY PRODUCTS (5,6)

• Eggs
• Cheeses
• Yogurt
• Butter (clarified, resembling oil...probably because of the heat).

VEGETABLES (1)

• Carob (Introduced in Middle Kingdom, used as a sweetener)
• Celery - Introduced during the 18th Dynasty (early New Kingdom), eaten raw, and used to flavor stews. (9)
• Cucumber (introduced in New Kingdom) (9)
• Chickpeas (introduced in New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty) (9)
• Cress (seeds used as flavoring, so possible that plant used like lettuce as well)(9)
• Garlic
• Fava Beans
• Lima Beans
• Leek
• Lentils
• Lettuce - Its leaves were eaten whole, dipped in oil and salt (4)
• Lotus Tuber (Arum colocasia)
• Mallow (4)
• Onions
• Peas
• Papyrus Tuber -”...they pull up from the fens the papyrus which grows every  year, and the upper parts of it they cut off and turn to other uses,  but that which is left below for about a cubit in length they eat or  sell: and those who desire to have the papyrus at its very best bake it  in an oven heated red-hot, and then eat it.”  Herodotus, Histories II, 2.92  (4) -
• Raddish - white/pink (introduced in Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty)(9)
• Tigernut (a root crop, not actually a nut - sometimes sold now as a health food ) (3)

FRUITS (1)

• Carob Trees - More common in new kingdom (1)
• Dates and Date Palm

- Imported plant...not sure when imported. (1)
- Plentiful after hand pollination was practiced...not sure when that was

• Dom/Doum Palm (native plant with brown fruit) (1)
• Figs (common fig and sycomore fig)
• Grapes and Raisins
• Olives (rare) -there’s evidence of olives, though olive trees don't grow well in the southern part of the country - olive oil was a luxury item so probably olives were too.    (1)
• Persea
• Pomegranate - more common in New Kingdom, though still a luxury item (9)
• Watermelon (2)  - probably was not as sweet as watermelon today.
• Black Mulberry (introduced in New Kingdom)
• Wild Zizyphus berries
• Apricot (imported, only used by wealthy) 
 

 

NUTS/SEEDS

• Sesame
• Watermelon Seeds
• Lotus Seeds
• Celery Seeds (introduced in early New Kingdom,  incorporated in sauces for grilled fish) (9)
• Almonds (New Kingdom on, rare, imported from Persia and Armenia) (5)
• Pistacio (not native - it was available but rare, imported) (14-16)
• Various other seeds

The Bible tells how, when Joseph's brothers returned to Egypt the second time, their father told them to "Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds." (Gen 43:11)   These would have been valued, because myrrh, pistachio and almonds did not grow in Egypt (14-16). 

HERBS, SPICES (1)

• Anise (added to bread, flavored pork)(9)
• Celery Seeds
  
• Cinnamon (imported and only available to very rich, sometimes even used in mummification) (10)
• Coriander (available from the New Kingdom onward, added to bread, seasoned fish) 
• Cress Seeds
• Cumin (available from the New Kingdom onward, flavored bread, fish)(9)*
• Dill (available from the New Kingdom onward) (9)
• Fennel
• Fenugreek - was used as a spice and possibly after the seeds were removed the stems provided fodder for livestock.
• Garlic
• Lavender
  
• Majoram (9) 
• Mustar (possibly as early as Middle Kingdom) (9)
• Parsley (9)
• Rosemary (9)
• Thyme (9)
• Salt

*Cumin was associated with faithfulness, and so soldiers and merchants sometimes carried the seeds in their pockets to remind them of those waiting at home.   They also thought cumin could help digestion and settle the stomach. (10)


OTHER

• Honey -produced in ceramic hives (1)
• Olive Oil - an imported item common after the Hyksos (9)
• Seed and Nut Oils
• Celery Seed Oil (used as a food preservative in New Kingdom)(9)
• Other Oils
• Vinegar (8)

SOURCES
1.  http://astromic.blogspot.com/2012/01/food-in-ancient-egypt.html

2.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150821-watermelon-fruit-history-agriculture/

3.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus

4. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/vegetables.htm

5. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/drink.htm

6. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/meat.htm

7. https://books.google.com/books?id=Vj7A9jJrZP0C&pg=PA632&lpg=PA632&dq=celery+egypt&source=bl&ots=zt20tgyJKt&sig=PQaNQatoZHYbNAP6AG5BTmFmCqE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD58uW-orNAhUE7IMKHc31CvcQ6AEIQzAJ#v=onepage&q=plum&f=false

8. http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egyptian-food.html 

9. https://cowofgold.wikispaces.com/Ancient+Egyptian+Food

10. https://www.history.com/news/spices-of-life-in-ancient-egypt 

11. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Egypt-Reading-Comprehension-The-Nile-River-2613230

12. http://www.ethanholman.com/history/egypt/dailylife/breadmaking.htm

13. https://sourdoughstartersfall20.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2020/09/11/the-history-of-the-cucumber/

14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistachio

15. https://www.pisti.it/en/pistachio-origins-and-varieties-in-the-world/

16. https://crewsproject.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/crews-display-pistachio-potsherd/

LINKING UP AT....

Throwback Thursday

Temple Mound Sifting Project

A fascinating video about the Temple Mound Sifting Project, with many pictures of archaeological finds and pictures and videos of the Temple Mound in Jerusalem.  (Note:  Contains call for donations at the end).

History Round-Up

These aren't necessarily new articles and resources, but new to me, and interesting! 


EGYPT

Egyptian Tour - Daily Life
A blog post with LOTS of pictures and a focus on daily life in Egypt.

Pharoah in Canaan
This article is about an exhibit that explores the cross-cultural exchange that took place between Egypt and Canaan during the second millennium BC.  Has a mention of the Biblical story of the Joseph, and lots of pictures.

Oldest/Longest Ancient Egyptian Leather Manuscript Found
Interesting tidbit about use of leather vs. Papyrus:  Parchment was used for important religious texts and for documents that had to travel, because it the short term it was more sturdy than papyrus.  But, over time it actually broke down quicker than papyrus.

Youngest Mummified Fetus Discovered
This is interesting because it says a lot about how Egyptians viewed the unborn.  The baby was probably from a miscarriage.

Amazing Mummies of King Tut's Grandparents

Redating the Exodus and Conquest (Free Book PDF)

Egyptian Boat Burial Discovered

Oldest Depiction of Ancient Egyptian Demons Found
"The ancient Egyptian world of belief was inhabited by a huge number of entities with super powers. They could play both malevolent or benevolent roles, as threats, maladies and dangers, or as protectors, helpers and defenders."

Art and Power in Ancient Egypt

Nilometer Discovered from 3rd Century BC
This instrument measured the Nile's rise and fall and was used for Taxes
  


ISREAL/JUDEA

Photo of the Week - Judean Desert

Daily Life in the Time of the Judges 

Ancient Sticy Notes Shift Secular Scholars Closer to Evangelicals on Bible's Age

 


OTHER/VARIOUS

Why No Truely Ancient Bible Writings Have Been Found
This article talks a lot about the history of writing in general, as it goes into deatail about the materials used by ancient writers including (but not limited) to Isreal, Egypt, Phonicia and how these hold up over time.

Free Books/Articles from Biblicalarchaeology.org
Well, I'm sure these have been there for a while, but I just discovered it:  a whole page full of e-books on Biblical history and archaeology free when you sign up for their newsletter.

Egypt VBS Decor - Marketplace

I thought I would share how we decorated our marketplace and "family homes" for Egypt VBS in 2010 and in 2016.  We did not do all the marketplace crafts--I'm just including the official crafts for now (we did several alternatives as well...and I'm going to do separate posts for these). 

The Scribe Shop (Hieroglyphics)

Reed mats just add something to table decor.  I've seen unlined bamboo mats like these for $1 at the Dollar Store or Walmart.  Party stores may have these too.

The Food Market

The food itself is most of the decor for this shop.

A few modern bowls don't detract too much if 

combined with some baskets. 

 

Brickmaking Shop

This was my shop during the marketplace.  I have more pictures and marketplace tips for brickmaking here.

The Basketry Shop

Click on either of the pictures above to 

see them larger.

In 2016 we tried out a Basketry shop.  This would be the 6th time we had done a Holy Land themed VBS, and so we had collected a lot of baskets (and I believe the shop keeper brought some from home too).  So, we were able to make a pretty spectacular basket display around the edges of our basket making shop.

In the back, the stone is just part of our church.  We used a cheap bamboo fence we got several years back at a party story to cover the window.  Sheets we collected from hotels for costumes when we did Rome covered the sides.  It really set a wonderful atmosphere.  

Animal Market

Our Animal market took NO decoration.  The lovely people who brought the animals from a local farm just let them graze freely in our church's grassy yard.  The kids ran around with baby goats (kids playing with kids...and both seeming to have a blast).  It was vastly different from having them in a cage for kids to visit.    There were some chickens in a cage...and the donkey was supervised more for the kids safety, but in general it was more natural than your typical petting zoo.  Both the animals and kids seemed more relaxed.  We did NOT have this during our regular marketplace, but replaced one day's games with "visiting herders."   We brought the kids in small groups so as to better supervise . 

Other Shops

We did several other alternative shops as well (not from Group's material) .  I'll be blogging about these at some point.

VBS Egypt Decor - Family Homes

The first time our church did Group VBS it was using Egypt: Joseph's Journey.  We really took the idea of these being "Egyptian Homes" seriously.  We asked family leaders to decorate their rooms, and I even devoted three pages of my Egypt Volunteers Guide to what you could find in an Egyptian Family home, and told them to make sure to consider whether they wanted to decorate for a wealthy or poor home.  Was all that necessary?  Not really.

Granted, the "family home" pages I did helped with marketplace decorating too, so I don't regret doing that.  But for family/tribe/group leaders, that sort of prep/decoration is really not essential.   Family rooms can be absolutely undecorated and it's no big thing.

But if you want to add some Egyptian flair, there's some simple ways to do that without much fuss.   You can put your "Family Time" materials in a basket (a nice touch we've kept because it helps with organization too).

If you have some woven rugs or blankets to throw down on the floor of family rooms, that's a nice touch.    Using a low stool in stead of a chair is both historically accurate and keeps volunteers closer to kids level (sitting on the floor with them does that too--but some volunteers may feel more comfortable with something to sit on).    Bringing some throw pillows from home can add some practical cushioning (and is also historical).

This is not a great picture above, but I think this was one of the coolest (and smartest) set ups.  The rugs naturally showed the kids where to sit.  The focal point in the center gave kids stuff to look at without drawing their attention behind them, away from the stool where the group leader sat.  And I have to mention that stool...cause that stool is so much like what Egyptians used it's uncanny.

And here's our sign stands.  I think we left these in the rooms on the first day (so kids could find their rooms) and then moved them to the marketplace to use there.  We reused these to hold columns several years later when we did Rome.

Egypt VBS Resources

Online Communities

Holy Land VBS Official Facebook Page

Egypt VBS Un-Official Facebook Page

Groups Forum
I've found in the past the forums at Group can also be a great resource, though it is not as active as it used to be.   Actually, pretty dead inactive right now.

King Tut One Forum
If you have an Egyptian history question, here's one good place to ask--it's a forum all about Egyptian history. Warning, not a PG forum, so you might stumble upon a topic that's not suitable for smaller eyes.

Historum Forum
My favorite general history forum.  Again, not a pg forum, but you can get really good answers to your historical questions here.


VBS Printables

Egypt Guide
This is a printable guide I made for our  volunteers with info about ancient Egyptian culture with pictures for inspiration, etc.   It was my attempt to fit some of the massive amounts of info about Egypt I found into what I thought was might be relevant and useful to marketplace volunteers and decorators at VBS.  You can use any part of it, and even copy and alter it, but please keep all credit information about the pictures, which were used with permission with promise of credit being given.

Egyptian Names Printable
Having an Egyptian name is pretty essential for marketplace workers, soI made this one page printable to pass around and have people choose a name from.  For even more Egyptian names try these links:  Male Egyptian Names, Female Egyptian Names.

Pyramid Box Printable

Spinx Toy Printable



Egyptian History Resources

Aspects of Life in Ancient Egypt
If you want a brief overview...this is not the site for you.  If you want to go deep on any particular topic about Egypt, than this is the site you're looking for.  I found this especially helpful in finding extra information for alternative marketplace crafts, as there's a lot about various occupations, tools, etc. here.  This site also had a lot more about the common people and day to day life than some other sites, which focused more on the Pharoahs and ruling class.

Egyptian History for Kids
Fun general site with lots of good info about Egypt for kids.  Great for when kids get curious and want to learn more.


Free Fonts

Hieroglyphic Font
Free for personal use

Egyptian Fonts at DaFont
Various, including Hieroglyphic.

Reliq
Readable ancient looking font that looks similar to what is used by Group.



Free Clip Art

Open Clip Art - Egypt
Clip art released into the public domain. You could also search under Egyptian, mummy, Joseph, etc.  Can be used commercially.

Clip Art Etc.
A clip art archive free for educational or non-profit use.  Search under Egyptian for lots of high resolution graphics.

Illustrated Bible History
You can find many sections on Egypt in the alphabetical list on the left side.  Free for personal, church, or other non-commercial use.

Unsplash - Egypt
Photography free to use for commercial or non-commercial usage.   See licence here. 

Pixabay - Egypt
Photography and art released into the public domain.  Can be used commercially.

Story of Joseph Illustrations
Illustrations of the Story of Joseph free for use under  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence.

Wikimedia Commons - Ancient Egypt
Most of the items on Wikimedia are under some sort of open licence like creative commons, or in the public domain.  You can also search under Egypt, Biblical Illustration, Ancient Egyptian Painting, etc. to find more.  Make sure to click "more details" to find out what licence the picture is under.

Phillip Martin Clip Art - Egypt
Comic book style art free for non-commercial use.  Also has Joseph clip art.

Egyptian Graphics Set (Ages Brown Silhouettes)
Free but requires registering at Teacher Pay Teachers.

Egyptian Colorful Hierogrphics Graphics
Free but requires registering at Teacher Pay Teachers.

100 Royalty Free Egyptian Graphics/Photos
Free but requires registering at Teacher Pay Teachers.





Egypt Posts on this Blog

Egypt Marketplace:  Brickmaking Tips

Egypt Decor
Egypt Decor - Marketplace Shops
Egypt Decor - Family Homes

Egyptian Resources for Homeschoolers



Misc. Resources   


My VBS Egypt Pinterest Board

Ancient Egyptian Craft Ideas
Great for alternative crafts. Also, if you go to the "Time Traveler Section" in the sidebar you can find a sort of "choose your own adventure" Egyptian story to share with your kids.

General VBS Resource List


Book Recommendations

This section includes a few Amazon affiliate links through which I can earn a small commission.  Any commission earned through this post will be donated to charity.  More info here.

You can usually find lots of great books on Egypt full of pictures for inspiration at your local library.  The following are my favorites for Egyptian craft ideas.



Make It Work:  Ancient Egypt
I love all the costume and craft ideas in this book.  My favorite decor item I think is a harp made from a bottle and balsa wood (a small item, but a very cool one for a music shop or in Pharaoh's palace.)  If you're looking for alternative crafts there's lots of ideas to explore here.  And they explain the history behind everything, too.

Warfare by Ducktape - Egypt
This book shows how to make 7 different Egyptian weapons using duct tape and other easy to find supplies, plus shows how to make various armor and costume items.  I downloaded this back when it was a freebie, and loved it.  I could see how it would be helpful in making costumes and props for VBS. (Available as printed book and printable PDF).

VBS Egypt Decor

In 2010 we did our first Holy Land Adventure VBS -  Egypt:  Joseph's Journey.  Group is putting out that program again this year, so I thought I'd share our decor for inspiration for other churches.  I don't remember how all of these were constructed (was involved with some but not all of it.

The columns above were made, I believe, with stacked boxes covered by brown paper (we bought a large role).  I am not sure how the flared tops were accomplished.  The panels and the eagle above it were done on foam board (we used a slide projector to project up Egyptian clip art larger so we could easily copy it).  The hieroglyphics on the wall were just cut out of colored paper and adhered with double stick tape.  Larger items were adhered with command strips.

This Oblisk was also made with boxes.   Wish I knew more than that to share with you.  They have this desert backdrop for sale again at Group but I foudn a place selling it cheaper here. (The pyramid and other Egyptian scenery are removable, so we were able to reuse this backdrop for VBS Wildernes).   I've also seen cool desert backdrops on oriental traders, and on Amazon and even more on this pinterest page.

We made our "Nile River" out of blue plastic tablecloths, and one of our volunteers made this amazing crocodile (I think out of clay that was alter painted).   Plastic water lilies ("lotus flowers") like we used can be found here.

Do you know what my kids remember the most about our last Egypt VBS...getting to climb on top of chairs we had stacked up to help us make carpet tube palm trees.  To make these trees we cut the bottoms off of paper bags and slipped them over carpet tubes until they crumpled into a nice "bark."  The leaves were paper cut outs over umbrella frames for support (you have to destroy the umbrella...take all the cloth off of it...so next time the wind destroys your umbrella...save it for VBS!)   You can also use Christmas Tree stands to hold, and we have every year used one our flag pole stands for one palm tree.   We also made some stands with wood, but I can't remember exactly how (a poll and a large base were involved).

This fire "brazier" was made by putting a light and a small fan in the bottom of the pot, and attaching orange, red and yellow streamers (or maybe tissue paper) to chicken wire under the fan.  It looked a lot cooler in motion.

Sign made with a pole and I think some left over foam board scraps.

Our registration table.  The bricks on the side are borrowed from our God sighting wall.

We made a bridge out of bamboo and 2x4s...kinda didn't hold up very well with kids walking over it.  You can find Sphinxes like we used here.  You can find white columes like we used at various party stores (this was the cheapest I found).  You can also find instructions on how to make your own columns here. These can be re-used in most of the other Holy Land VBS programs (everyone say wilderness that they've done so far...even Galilee and Nazareth have synagogues you can use columns for).