It's easy to think that many foods in California originated
right here. But as we've seen, that's far from the truth. This
is Egypt. The cradle of civilization and the birthplace of many
foods we Californians have come to call our own. We're
rightfully proud of our "young" California wines, but the
Egyptians have a leg up. They've been cultivating wine grapes
for more than 5000 years. During the age of the pharaohs, the
best wines were set-aside for royalty. Even buried with them.
Egypt's fertility springs from the Nile, the world's longest
river. Beginning deep in the heart of Africa, it winds its way
4000 miles north to the Mediterranean. In this desert country, a
narrow strip of irrigated land feeds some 60 million people.
Egyptian chef Sameh Samaan says, "This is called 'jack grout'
and it's with herbs and olive oil an Italian dish." And while
Egyptian chefs adapt local ingredients to please western
palates, ancient flavors and traditional foods are always close
at hand. By 2600 BC, Egyptians were in the