Surf and turf à la Nile
Impossible to over emphasize how essential the Nile River was to the ancient Egyptians. The annual flood watered their farmlands and was the chief means of transportation along its 4,000-mile length. A nation that can feed itself with grain with enough left over for trade and a reliable means of shipping it is de facto going to be the power in its region.



Left looks like lamb en croute, center is what looks like Cornish pasties to the right of the flowering lotus, and on the right, pretty sure those are onions. As long as they didn’t have to pay all the produce in taxes or tribute, people on the Nile could live well.
They must have eaten a lot of fish, too.