AZIZA SLC: CRAFT LAKE CITY CRAFT FOOD

By Audrey Lockie, SLUG Magazine

With Aziza SLC, Menna Rashwan shares the culinary lineage of her Egyptian home. After learning that “sharing food is love and feeding people is a way to show love and care” from her mother and grandmother, Rashwan brought that gastronomic goodwill with her to Utah. “We couldn’t find any authentic Egyptian food here!” she says. “It all started with the idea of bringing the same food experience we used to have in Egypt.”

Now cooking out of Square Kitchen, Rashwan has evolved her love for Egyptian food into a unique blend of ideas and influences. She prepares classic dishes such as koshary (a rice-and-lentil dish with a tomato sauce), fattah (layered meat and bread) and pastry desserts like kunafa and baklava, honoring the traditional cooking processes while also updating the flavors and ingredients of each dish. “Koshary back in Egypt can be a heavy dish,” she says. “It involves more deep frying, [and] mine is on the lighter side. I … also add some spices to the koshary tomato sauce that aren’t typically used, like cinnamon, which suits the American taste.”

Along with the koshary, Aziza SLC’s most popular item remains their kunafa cups. “I was so surprised by how much people here loved kunafa,” Rashwan says. “Kunafa is one of the most famous Middle Eastern desserts, made with shredded phyllo dough, filled with custard and cheese and drizzled with orange blossom syrup. It’s sweet and crispy and gooey.” Follow Aziza SLC on Instagram @azizaslc for more information on product availability and ordering.

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