Today, the integration of many communities together in Egypt led to the adaptation of new forms of national dishes. Besides, most of the traditional food is prepared with modern machines, stoves and utensils. The Nubian cuisine is no exception to this development. As a result, the old traditional Nubian cuisine has almost vanished and only elderly people still remember the names of dishes that they used to eat in their childhoods.

The present Nubian cuisine is characterized by dishes such as:

• bamiya (okra stew),
• Ful Medames (mashed fava beans),
• Kushari (brown lentils, macaroni, rice, chickpeas and a spicy tomato sauce),
• Moloukhiya (a popular green soup made from finely chopped Jew's Mallow leaves),
• Taamiya (deep fried mixture made of beans, parsley, and onions),
• Tahina (sesame paste).
• Vegetable, fish, meat or chicken Tagen (different stews prepared in tomato and onion sauce).

In Aswan, there is also a special kind of bread called Shamsi. The bakers, usually the women of the village, let the dough rise in the sun before baking it. Some connoisseurs claim that the Shamsi bread is one of the best kinds of bread in the world.

Other popular and national dishes include:

• Kebab (grilled lamb meat cut into small pieces),
• Kofta (grilled minced meat),
• Shish Taouk (grilled chicken filet cut into small pieces).

Ancient Egyptians are known to have used a lot of garlic and onion in their everyday dishes. Nowadays, fresh mashed garlic with other herbs, such as cumin, is used in spicy tomato salad. Garlic fried with coriander is added to Moloukhiya, and fried onions are added to Kushari.

Dill, fenugreek, parsley, thyme, white and black cumin, fennel, marjoram and mint are all native to Egypt and were used in cooking in ancient times. Both cinnamon and pepper were imported from the New Kingdom and onwards.