Foodstuffs
The predynastic cuisine differed from later eating habits due to changes in climate. Egypt went from being a lush region to a drier climate. Initially, there was plenty of game such as antelope, gazelle, hippo, crocodile, ostrich, waterfowl, and fresh and saltwater fish. Smaller game like sheep, goats, cattle, and even hyenas were eaten. However, by dynastic times (around 3000 BC) the availability of game had decreased considerably and was by then primarily a sport of the affluent, even though small game often would supplement the diet of the poor. The New Kingdom was a period with innovations in diet due to foreign trade and warfare. Pomegranates were introduced and almonds were imported. It is also possible that apples and apricots were imported on a small scale, and by Greco-Roman times quinces, pears, plums, peaches, filbert, walnut, pine nut, and pistachios were introduced.
Honey was the primary sweetener, but was rather expensive. There was honey collected from the wild, and honey from domesticated bees kept in pottery hives. A cheaper alternative would have been dates or carob. There was even a hieroglyph (nedjem/bener) depicting a carob pod that bore the primary meaning of "sweet; pleasant." Oils would be made from lettuce or radish seed, safflower, ben, balanites and sesame. Animal fat was employed for cooking and jars used for storing it have been found in many settlements.
Read more about this topic: Ancient Egyptian Cuisine