A spiced version of the classic Turkish coffee, typical of the Egyptian city Alexandria.
Prepare the blend, stirring all the dry ingredients carefully together. In a Turkish coffee maker (kanaka) add three cups of cold water and three heaped teaspoons of the spiced coffee mixture and sugar to taste. Mix well and place over the fire until the coffee begins to boil and a foam of ground coffee forms on the surface. Serve immediately, distributing a few spoonfuls of the foam in each cup and then immediately pouring in the coffee.
One of the favourite desserts with Egyptians, it is made with semolina (simeet), preferably served at breakfast with coffee, and possibly with added cream (eshta) or jam.
Prepare a syrup by boiling the water and sugar with the lemon juice for a few minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the almonds and toast them in the butter along with the semolina for about fifteen minutes, until the ingredients just begin to brown. Transfer the mixture to a buttered metal dish, spread it out thoroughly smoothing the surface, and bake until golden at 180°C (350°F). Remove from the oven and pour the boiling syrup on top.