Egyptian bread (Aish Masry) is a fundamental ingredient in the Egyptian diet. It can be used as a cooking ingredient in dishes like Fattah, or to complement other dishes like fool, mulukeia, kebab, kofta or gebna.

This also means that the population can be directly impacted by an increase in the price of bread, with the result that poorer Egyptians are not able to feed their family properly due to inflation. Before the revolution, 5 loaves of breads cost 1 pound (0.15$) - today, one year after Mubarak's fall, prices are stabilizing but have still increased to 4 loaves of bread for 1 pound (25 piasters per piece vs 20 piasters previously).

In this picture, you can see a young married woman at home preparing Fattah, a dish made of lentil soup with rice, bread, tomatoes and lamb. This is the traditional main dish for Muslims during the feast of El Adha (which takes place 2 months after Ramadan).

To an Egyptian, this simple picture of every day life can also have a political meaning: the plate representing the Egyptian country and the pieces of cut bread symbolizing the destruction by the people of all representations of Moubarak's ex-regime, creating a brand-new country named Fattah.

Photo & Report by Gaël Favari for The Global Journal

(Photo © Gaël Favari / The Global Journal)