Our Food
Specialty Cuisine & Beverages
If there is one thing our guests talk about again and again after leaving Magdalena, it is the food.
Some have even told us that they dream of returning to the boat simply to eat here again.
At the heart of our kitchen is Chef Hossam, whose passion can be felt in everything he creates. He truly puts his heart and soul into his food — and this is reflected not only in the flavours, but also in the beauty and care with which every dish is presented.
For Hossam, a plate should be a feast for the eyes as much as for the palate.
Egyptian Roots, International Inspiration
Our cuisine is rooted in the wonderful flavours of Egypt, combined with international dishes and, at times, surprisingly refined contemporary touches.
Chef Hossam loves to create.
Alongside traditional ingredients, you may find quinoa, chia seeds, rice paper and other ingredients rarely encountered aboard a Nile boat. And yes — you may even find sushi on the Magdalena.
Our meals are colourful, fresh and abundant, with plenty of vegetables, greens and fresh fruits incorporated throughout the day.
Even Kriszta, who has never considered herself a great lover of salads because she usually finds them rather boring, has been completely converted by Hossam. His salads bring together unexpected ingredients, textures and flavours — and somehow she cannot stop eating them.
That perhaps says everything.
Simple, Fresh & Made by Us
Behind all the creativity is a very simple philosophy:
Start with good ingredients and interfere with them as little as possible.
We keep our food clean and uncomplicated and avoid processed foods wherever possible. What can be made in our own kitchen, we make ourselves.
Even the chips served as an afternoon snack are homemade.
Our pastry chef, Fares, prepares our biscuits and baked treats aboard the boat and makes fresh gluten-free bread whenever required. It is this attention to the seemingly small things that makes the Magdalena kitchen different.
Food for Everyone
We believe dietary requirements should never mean receiving the boring version of everybody else’s meal.
Our chefs are wonderful at creating complete menus for vegetarian and vegan groups, as well as accommodating guests requiring gluten-free or lactose-free food.
Rather than simply removing ingredients from an existing dish, our kitchen team thinks about what they can create instead — so that everyone can enjoy beautiful, satisfying food.
With advance notice, we are happy to work with the dietary needs and sensitivities of our guests wherever possible.
More Than a Bar
Our bar was created with the same attention to detail as our kitchen.
There is a proper espresso machine for those who love real coffee, alongside Turkish coffee, matcha and a selection of herbal teas.
For every meal, our barman prepares fresh juices using fruits, vegetables and other fresh ingredients, so there is always something colourful and refreshing arriving at the table.
And because food should also be joyful, Magdalena has everything from a waffle maker to a chocolate fountain — little surprises that occasionally appear along the journey.
Water — Returning to an Ancient Tradition
Water is particularly important to us.
Rather than continuously distributing small plastic bottles, every guest receives their own Magdalena refillable water bottle, which they can refill throughout the journey from our water dispenser with cool or hot water.
We also use traditional Egyptian clay water jars — a simple technology that reaches back into the ancient culture of Kemet.
For thousands of years, porous clay vessels have been used in Egypt to naturally cool water through evaporation. There is something beautifully appropriate about returning to this ancient relationship between water, earth and human hands while travelling upon the Nile.
For us, these clay jars also represent the idea of living water — water held in a natural material rather than disposable plastic, connecting an ancient tradition with the way we wish to live today.
Our ice is also made aboard Magdalena in our own ice maker using filtered water.
From the Earth of Kemet to Our Table
Even the plates and mugs from which our guests eat and drink were created as part of the Magdalena experience. Rather than choosing ordinary mass-produced tableware, we wanted to return once again to the land itself.
Our beautiful plates, bowls and mugs are handmade especially for Magdalena by a local Egyptian potter, using the clay of the land and designs created specifically for our boat. Many carry the Magdalena logo and other details that connect them to the spirit and identity of our floating temple.
The word Kemet itself is traditionally understood as “the Black Land,” referring to the dark, fertile soil associated with the Nile Valley. And so there is something deeply meaningful to us about serving food upon vessels born from the earth of this same land.
Each piece carries the marks of the human hands that shaped it. No two are completely identical. For us, this is another expression of what Magdalena is about: returning to what is natural, handmade and connected to place.
From the fertile earth of Kemet, into the hands of the potter, onto the table of Magdalena.
And somehow, even the plate becomes part of the journey.
Food as Part of the Journey
On Magdalena, food is never simply something served between one temple visit and another.
It is part of the experience.
It is the table everyone returns to.
The place where stories are exchanged.
Where the experiences of the day begin to integrate.
Where colours, flavours and aromas bring everyone back into the senses and into the body.
And behind it all is a team that genuinely loves what they do.
Perhaps that is the secret ingredient our guests keep tasting.
Welcome to the table of Magdalena.
