The story
Hawawshi, spiced minced meat baked inside Egyptian baladi bread, is named after the Cairo butcher said to have invented it. The usual story says Ahmed al-Hawawsh began selling it from his stall in the Souk al-Tawfik neighbourhood in 1971, though some call him Mohamed el-Hawawshi, and an old receipt from his shop suggests the sandwich may date to the 1930s. Another theory links it to a 13th-century recipe for meat-filled bread. From Cairo it spread across Egypt, with Alexandria developing a version baked between two layers of dough, and the Nile Delta province of Sharqia now claiming some of the best.
Rival claims
City undisputed. The butcher's first name (Ahmed or Mohamed) and the date (1971, or as early as the 1930s) are disputed.
Also known as hawawshy, hawwaoshi, Egyptian hawawshi, Egyptian burger.
On the Meridish menu
Hawawshi was the street food course on menu No. 28 on October 28, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Spiced minced meat baked inside round flatbread until crisp. A butcher whose name it carries started selling it from his stall in this capital, reportedly in 1971.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawawshi
- egyptianstreets.com/2021/10/01/exploring-the-history-of-the-egyptian-burger-hawawshi
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
