The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The vegan community often jokes about the different types of vegans. The two most popular stereotypes are those of the ‘healthy vegan’ and the ‘junk food vegan’. If you’re the first kind, you were probably drawn to veganism for its health benefits as well as ethics and are obsessed with smoothies, quinoa/rice bowls, kale and clean raw desserts. The second kind are usually drawn to the vegan lifestyle mainly for ethical reasons and don’t really care much for the nutrition labels on food packages. These vegans are most likely to read articles in order to find accidentally vegan foods (did you know Oreos are vegan?) and typically survive on a diet of soy chicken nuggets, fries and twizzlers. In reality, most vegans fall somewhere in between these two clichés.

As people who have had their fair share of tasty vegan cuisine (both healthy and junky), we were very pleasantly surprised by Earthly Delight’s frozen home delivery options. In a country where it’s not easy to find vegan or even vegetarian options at restaurants or catering services, Earthly Delights, the home delivery service operated by the previous owner of the Vegan Kitchen, is certainly a saviour for many.

While most natural veggie burgers don’t do the best job of imitating meat, the Earthly Delights burger (110LE for a pack of four patties), made up primarily of lentils and mushrooms, had a wonderful savoury flavour, and was a great imitation of a traditional burger patty, but with that wholesome twist.  Texture wise, when baked the right amount of time (slightly crispy on both sides but not burnt), it has the consistency of a medium to medium-rare burger at one of Cairo’s many gourmet burger restaurants.

Besides being tasty, they were also a very decent size and made for a very visually pleasing burger. For us, the burger was perfect with Earthly Delights melting vegan cheese (more on that later) and our own additions of lettuce, and tomato.

The doughy gluten free burger buns (58LE), meanwhile, were a great option for those who are gluten intolerant. They may have been a little too thick for the burgers, making it a bit difficult to get everything in one bite, but would be perfect if cut into thinner slices.

The melting vegan cheese (80LE) was certainly a huge surprise. Cashew cheeses usually come in the form of a spread, almost the same consistency as cream cheese but slightly thicker. Most vegan cheeses that melt similarly to regular cheese are usually much more artificial and include ingredients that a regular person won’t recognise or even pronounce. This melting cashew cheese, however, had an ingredient list as simple and as unsuspicious as the rest of Earthly Delight’s products – and it really did melt! When heated on the stove, it formed a wonderful thick, gooey consistency which was absolutely mind-blowing when drenched on top of the burger patty.

The vegan pizza (58LE) was simple yet delicious, using homemade marinara sauce, the melting vegan cheese and some herbs. The crust was gluten free, of course, and had a wonderful crispy texture. The pizza itself had a very classic flavour and was very easy to alter to our tastes. Before baking it in the oven, we added some chopped mushrooms, onions and tomatoes. While it was definitely a bit too small, it was a decent size for one person.

The pesto sauce (45LE, produced by KAJU but is on the Earthly Delights menu and delivered through them) was exactly what one expects and hopes for. There’s not much to say about it besides that it was a perfectly classic pesto and was wonderful when used as a dip with some toasted bread.

For dessert, the chococo truffles (58LE, also produced by KAJU) were a wonderful treat, despite being small in portion.  Though noticeably different in flavour to traditional chocolate truffles, as one takes the time to chew it, they find a mixture of rich flavours; the dark chocolate taste paired with the dates and coconut was superb.

While the food was pricey, one can’t really expect less from a catering service which offers all vegan and gluten free options with natural ingredients in Egypt. We received a good amount of food to last us for a few days. While the portion sizes were not huge, it was a good amount for a gathering or for one person if they want a few meals for the week.

Overall, Earthly Delights offers quality vegan food, using ingredients any healthy vegan would love with the dining experience of a junk food vegan. They create ‘naughty’ foods such as pizza and burgers which are actually deceivingly healthy and delicious, made with completely plant based and clean ingredients and are easy to keep and prepare.

Photo: Earthly Delights/Facebook