Koshary is known as "The food of the Poor";[6] it consists of fried onions, lentils, rice, macaroni and a red sauce.

[7] In 1853, in his book "Journey to Egypt and the Hijaz", explorer Richard Burton documented koshary as the breakfast meal of the people of Suez.

[10] As traditionally prepared koshary does not contain any animal products, it can be considered vegan, as long as all frying uses vegetable oil.

There are variations in each country or region, such as adding grilled vegetables and using basmati rice cooked either white or yellow.

Nontraditional ingredients, which are not typically found in Egyptian recipes, are basil chicken, raw tomatoes, sour cream, fried eggs, Cheddar sauce, avocado slices, and spicy powder with jalapeño.