Bassem Samra Ate This Ramadan—in Ein Sehreya

In Ein Sehreya, Bassem Samra’s character Zaki is many things: determined, stubborn, occasionally dramatic. But above all else? The man is almost always eating.

Across the 15-episode Ramadan series, some of the most memorable scenes don’t unfold in tense confrontations or dramatic monologues; they happen over plates of food. More specifically, over plates from Masmat El Shaab, the kind of traditional spot that proudly serves the parts of the animal most restaurants overlook. We’re talking kawarea, kersha, lisan, and lahmet ras. The rich, slow-cooked staples that make masmats the ultimate comfort food institution.

For the uninitiated, a masmat is an old-school Egyptian eatery dedicated to offal and specialty cuts; cow feet, tripe, tongue, head meat, and the kind of dishes that demand hours of simmering and serious appetite. In Ein Sehreya, Masmat El Shaab practically becomes a supporting character of its own, hosting some of Zaki’s most pivotal conversations. In fact, one particularly heavy meal might have even saved the man’s life (no spoilers… okay, maybe a tiny one).

So, in honor of the Ramadan season where Bassem Samra spent a remarkable amount of screen time chewing, dipping baladi bread, and debating life over tajins, here’s every time Zaki stopped to eat in Ein Sehreya.