Fresh Egyptian JuicesRAWI Publishing
Juice shops can be found on every main street in Egypt. Easily recognizable by their cheerful storefronts with seasonal fruits decorating the facades, you can take your drink to-go in a plastic bag or choose to drink it in-house.
Seasonal juices such as mango and watermelon are must tries, or you can opt for perennial classics such as hibiscus or liquorice available year-round.
Fakhfakhina (Cocktail Drink)RAWI Publishing
Fakhfakhina: The Cocktail to Rule Them All
A cross between fruit salad and a mocktail, fakhfakhina is an amusing looking drink. A relatively recent concoction, sugar cane juice vendors in Egypt invented it to compete with Western-style diners who were offering milkshakes at their drive-thrus in the 1980s.
The fruit-bowl-like drink, served year-round, includes a variety of seasonal fruit, like mangoes, strawberries, kiwis, or pineapples, cut into cubes or wedges and served amidst a veritable rainbow of fruit juices.
Aseer Asab or Sugar Cane JuiceRAWI Publishing
Sugarcane Juice
‘Aseer Asab is enjoyed year-round in Egypt. Grown in Upper Egypt, sugarcane is harvested between December and June. During harvest, you often see children clamouring for cane segments, which they chew on to extract the sweet essence before discarding the remaining pith.
To extract the distinctive yellowish-green juice, the stalks are inserted into a large, specially made press. Children can often be seen after school in their uniforms carrying plastic bags of sugarcane juice, a welcome treat after a long school day.
Sobia by Agency: The FactoryNawaya
Sobya
The term sobya has historically been used in reference to different beverages, such as a drink believed to have been consumed in Egypt around the 16th and 17th centuries made of wheat, rue, mint, and a sweetener.
Sobya (Milk-based Beverage)RAWI Publishing
Today, sobya is made of cow’s milk, coconut flakes, powdered rice, sugar, and vanilla essence. Enjoyed during the holy month of Ramadan, this thick drink is among the wide range of beverages served when observant Muslims break their fast at sunset.
Licorice Seller in CairoRAWI Publishing
Liquorice Seller
If you hear cymbals clicking, look around you for a man carrying an ornate metal container and beckoning passers-by to come quench their thirst.
While disposable cups are now more commonly used by street vendors to serve the drink, traditionally, metal cups or small glasses were used that the vendor carried in a special belt wrapped around his torso and waist.
Licorice JuiceRAWI Publishing
Liquorice Drink
The popularization of liquorice, or ‘irq soos, likely began in Ottoman Egypt, around the 16th or 17th centuries, a time when sherbets or fruit juices were particularly popular.
Today, the drink is prepared from ground liquorice root mixed with baking soda, then moistened with boiling water and placed in a cheesecloth to infuse in cool water. The result is a refreshing, naturally sweet juice enjoyed throughout the summer and during Ramadan.
A Tray of Egyptian BeveragesRAWI Publishing
Egypt boasts many more refreshing drinks to quench your thirst year-round. Those colourful concoctions are prepared using everything from flowers, fruits to roots and fruit pastes.
Hibiscus
Believed to hold medicinal properties, like the ability to lower blood pressure, karkadeh is a popular refreshing drink. It is prepared from the dried petals of the hibiscus flower and can be served hot or cold, its deep red colour leaving tell-tale traces on drinkers' lips.
There are several ways to extract the tangy red juice from the hibiscus flowers. The easiest is to soak the flowers overnight, boil them, sweeten the concoction, drain it, and leave to cool.
Tamarind
Tamarind juice, or tamr hindi (meaning Indian dates) as it’s commonly known in Egypt, is a popular drink. Tamarind itself is not grown in Egypt but is imported. Its juice, both sweet and tangy, is enjoyed in the summer and during the fasting month of Ramadan.
Tamarind
Sold in juice shops or by street vendors who beckon thirsty pedestrians with clanking cymbals, it is also very easy to make at home. Simply rinse then boil the tamarind in water for about seven minutes, drain, and sweeten to taste. Allow to cool and enjoy.
Doum
Doum juice is made from the fruit of the doum palm tree. Beloved since ancient Egypt, this hard and round fruit is today grown in Aswan in the south of Egypt. Interestingly, only the shell is edible and is used to create this naturally sweet juice.
To make the juice, crush the hard shell into a powder. Then, boil a quarter cup in two litres of water (be careful not to over-boil to prevent bitterness), leave to cool, drain, and add sugar to taste. The seeds are often used as decorative elements or carved into jewellery.
Carob
Known as kharoob, this is another Ramadan favourite. It is sold in all juice shops, by street vendors, and even in restaurants and supermarkets. Carob has a long history in Egypt, and may have been a common drink in ancient Egypt as attested by its presence in several tombs.
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