Where to Buy CIS Food and Halal Meat in Cairo and Hurghada

Halal in Egypt, what you need to know

Egypt is a Muslim country, and the meat and chicken sold at ordinary butchers and supermarkets are halal. Under Egyptian rules, imported meat must also carry a halal certificate.

Pork is rare and sold only in a few specialised shops. Be more careful with imported sausages, sweets, jelly candies and snacks: read the ingredients, look for the «حلال» (halal) mark and check what the gelatine is made from.

If in doubt, buy meat from the big chains or from a butcher you know, where it is clear where the product comes from.

Hypermarkets and supermarket chains

The easiest option is the big chains. They have almost everything, and many take delivery orders through their website or app.

• Carrefour, Spinneys, Lulu and Hyper One. Large stores, often in shopping malls, with a wide choice of meat, dairy, grains and household goods.
• Metro Market, Seoudi and Oscar. Supermarkets in residential areas, handy for everyday shopping.
• Gourmet. More imported and hard-to-find products, but higher prices.
• Kazyon and other discount stores. Small neighbourhood shops with the basics at low prices.

Where to look for buckwheat

In recent years Russian buckwheat, tea and sunflower oil have started to appear on the shelves of Metro and Spinneys, but availability depends on the branch. If you ask the staff, buckwheat in Arabic is «al-hinta as-sawda» (الحنطة السوداء).

Prices and offers change every week, so compare them in the chains' apps before a big shop.

What to use instead of tvorog and kefir

Ordinary shops may not have tvorog as you know it, but there is a local cheese called «areesh» (gebna areesh). It is made from soured skimmed milk, it is soft, white and crumbly, and it resembles cottage cheese. It works well for syrniki and baked curd dishes.

Instead of kefir many people buy «laban rayeb», a local soured milk, or drinking yoghurt. Sour cream, butter and hard cheeses are easier to find in the big chains.

Uzbek cafés and bakeries in Nasr City

Most people from Central Asia live in Nasr City and the 10th District, not far from Al-Azhar, so this is the easiest place to find familiar food. In August 2026 the Cairo food outlet SceneEats wrote about the Uzbek restaurant Golden Plov in Nasr City, which serves manti.

Local media have also written about small bakeries where Uzbek students bake round flatbread and samsa. Such places open and close, so check the address and opening hours on maps and in recent reviews before you go. If you want to live closer to people from home, see our guide to Cairo districts.

Markets, vegetables, fruit and spices

Vegetables and fruit at markets and neighbourhood stalls are usually cheaper and fresher than in a supermarket. Buy what is in season and feel free to pick them yourself.

If you shop for a big family or together with neighbours, you can go to Obour Market, the largest wholesale market in Cairo. It sells vegetables, fruit, fish and frozen meat, usually by the crate and in bulk.

Spices, dried fruit and nuts are easy to buy in the shops of the old city near Al-Azhar Mosque and at local markets. Bargaining is normal at markets, while supermarket prices are fixed.

A few ways to spend less on food:

• Buy vegetables, fruit and herbs at the market or a local stall, and grains, oil and cleaning products at discount stores and during chain promotions.
• Buy in season: mangoes, watermelons and grapes are cheaper in summer, citrus fruit and strawberries in winter.
• Share bulk purchases with neighbours: meat and rice are cheaper in large packs.
• Cook at home: local beans, rice, lentils and vegetables are inexpensive, while eating out every day quickly eats into the budget.

Home cooks, when you want real plov

In Cairo, manti, samsa, lagman, pelmeni, beshbarmak and cakes are usually ordered from Russian-speaking home cooks. We explained how to choose a cook and what to ask in our article home-cooked food to order in Cairo.

Pelmeni and vareniki are handy to buy frozen for several weeks at once. If halal matters to you, ask the cook where they buy the meat. Before Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha cooks get a lot of orders, so book early.

Russian food in Hurghada

Hurghada has many Russian-speaking residents, and small delis and shops selling pelmeni, vareniki, syrniki, tvorog and buckwheat have long been open in the El Kawther and Sheraton areas. Names and addresses change over time, so the easiest way to find current places is through local chats and maps.

How Tullab helps you find familiar food

Cooks' listings are collected in home-cooked food, and cakes, samsa and flatbread are in sweets and baking to order. You can contact the author by phone or Telegram and agree on delivery.

Do you cook or bake flatbread yourself? Post a free listing with your dishes, district and delivery terms. People from home will find you.