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The Surprising History of Egypt’s ‘Crazy Tomatoes’

How an ordinary ingredient became a symbol of collective complaint. November 7, 2025, 2:45 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

An illustration shows a pyramid of tomatoes at a market with a woman at left and a shouting man with hands to his face at right. behind them is a street scene with pyramids in the distance.

A logo shows a red caterpillar munching on a globe with the words The Hungry Hegemon.

Where cuisine conquers all. Read more from the series.

When I first moved to Cairo, I encountered tomatoes everywhere—in street foods, cookbooks, family recipes, and local markets. In subsequent years, when I returned to conduct research on (and in) Egyptian kitchens, I watched home cooks use them for garnishes and stuf

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