A Cook Abroad: Dave Myers' Egypt - review: Hairy Biker shines light on Egyptian cuisine

The humble loaf was the real star of the show

BBC2's new series A Cook Abroad

While the inhabitants of the British Isles had just about managed to heave one rock on top of another to create Stonehenge, the Ancient Egyptians were putting the finishing touches to the Pyramids. It was their invention of leavened bread, however, which most impressed Dave Myers.

The TV chef and one half of the Hairy Bikers was travelling to the North African nation to kick off BBC2's new series A Cook Abroad. Six chefs, six countries, starting in Egypt with lots of delicious… er… what exactly? As Myers pointed out, Egyptian cuisine doesn't have much of a profile in this country. "Where would one go for 'an Egyptian'? In fact, can you name me one Egyptian dish?"

Now we can. There was the bean dish ful medames for breakfast in Cairo, traditional dessert um ali (named, said Myers, after a Miss O'Malley, the Irish lover of the Khedive) and dates eaten straight from the tree: "It's like masala wine, Madeira. It's all me Christmases rolled into one!" Myers enthused.

The humble loaf, however, was the real star of the show. In Luxor, he sampled shamsi bread at his new friend Mahmood's house and later noted the design that Mahmood's wife had baked into her bread was also on the loaves depicted in ancient wall paintings. What a relief to discover we haven't forgotten everything our ancestors taught us.