An Egyptian man brings basterma to Dublin

Meet the Alexandrian butcher bringing basterma to Ireland: Rafea Abdelrazek, an Egyptian who moved to Ireland 16 years ago, is introducing Egyptian basterma to Ireland. Abdelrazek tells Dublin Inquirer his basterma takes five weeks to make, but sells out in a fraction of the time. He says that, while the cured beef has different styles in Middle Eastern countries, Egyptians use different spices and his recipe includes vinaigrette, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and garlic. “In Egypt, you can eat it in a sandwich and some people put it with fava beans. But me, I like to fry it with some eggs,” Abdelrazek says.