Esna Lentil Soup

Lentils - the unsung superstars of ancient agriculture - have been keeping Egyptians well-fed since Pharaonic times. The small town of Esna, 55km (around 34 miles) south of Luxor, produces exceptional lentils. Generations have watched the crop thrive on the banks of the silt-rich Nile banks, as waters rose and receded with each ancient flood.

At Okra, a kitchen run by a group of talented women serving Esna classics, we feasted on ads Esnawi. This traditional soup - laced with