Food, glorious food!

OK...let's talk about food. We always do anyway right? To begin with you should know that Mohammed, Maryanne's right hand man, driver, farm manager and cook extraordinaire clearly plans to send us both home requiring extra seats on the plane. Egyptian hospitality assumes you will feed your guests endlessly and abundantly, and Mohammed takes this concept to the enth degree. So what are the basics? Fruit and juices to die for. Unsweetened, thick and all taste no water or other agents. We have oranges, bananas, mangos, guava, lemons that are more like the Myer type, apples, tangerines, and grapes...all on plates and in juice combinations. Now I've left one out: pomegranates...not as fruit per se, but as an amazing paste we added to traditional margaritas, and then made more margaritas using the thick juice in place of the lemon lime we figure to be margaritaville....these we have named Pomaritas. Notice we talk about alcohol first. The beer is local, Stella, (not Artois) and very nice, refreshing stuff as you get off a horse after a desert ride....it comes in a can, but that just helps keep it really cold. Mmmm.
Now, food. Our meals have been amazing. We, especially Gail, have developed serious addictions to the pickled eggplant...which is a sort of fried and spiced and pickled version...and the cauliflower that Mohammed makes in a similar fashion that will make you reconsider anything you have ever thought about the lowly plant. He dips it in a highly spiced...not hot...but flavorful egg batter and fries it. Outstanding. Then there is the Tahina...tahini and oil and cumin etc to go with the falafel, and the endless wonderful salads we have with every meal. Tomatos and greens and cukes and all picked by the cook moments before making the meal. And...there has been a lightly seasoned and grilled rabbit and chicken...each served as part of a mulukia...which is a thick soup made of the green by that name, which is served with meat (or not) on a rice and vermicelli pilaf.
We need to go ride now, so we'll continue this gastronomical treatise later and add pictures!