Beverages to Enjoy in Egypt

When traveling, I enjoy sampling local food and drink.  Egypt has a few beverages that I always try to make a point of enjoying during my visits.  Some of these are available in the United States, but many people aren’t aware of them.

Yansoun (Anise Tea)

Yansoun (pronounced yan-SOON) is a tea made from anise seeds, served hot.  I never eat anise-flavored food when I’m home in the U.S., but when I go to Egypt I frequently order yansoun with my meals.  The higher-end hotels and restaurants don’t offer it, because they associate it with the lower classes.  But it should be easy to find in cafes, koshary restaurants, and other Egyptian “comfort food” places.

My Egyptian friends have told me that it’s common for singers to sip yansoun before performing, and even to keep a cup on stage with them, because it soothes the throat and eases any hoarseness.  I find that I like drinking it in the evening, because it helps me sleep.

Restaurants typically serve yansoun with a bit of sugar on the side, but I find I like the flavor of the tea just fine even without the sugar.

Karkaday (Hibiscus Tea)

Karkaday is made from the dried petals of hibiscus flowers, and is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron. On a hot day, I enjoy drinking it as an iced tea, but near bedtime I like to drink it hot.  Most cafes and restaurants that I’ve been to in Egypt offer karkaday both hot and as an iced tea. It’s a beautiful red color. Restaurants often serve it with sugar to add, but I personally like drinking it without.

Mango Juice

In North America, it’s possible to order mango juice at Indian restaurants, but in Egypt it’s available at almost every place that offers beverages. Mango juice is reasonably safe to drink because mangos are a fruit that requires peeling.  The vivid orange color looks very appetizing, and mangos are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, and vitamin B.  I always ask for mine to be served without ice, since ice is normally made from tap water and may contain bacteria.

Juice drinks made from fresh fruit offer a highlight of Egyptian cuisine. This photo taken in February 2017 shows a glass of strawberry juice and a glass of mango juice. Photo copyright by Jewel, 2017, all rights reserved.

Asir Farola (Strawberry Juice)

This consists of pureed strawberries, perhaps with a small amount of water added.  The vibrant red color looks beautiful in the glass!  I always try to drink some while in Egypt, but I recommend exercising some caution – some restaurants don’t adequately wash the strawberries before making the beverage. Even those that wash the strawberries may use tap water to do it, so there is some risk of bacteria.  I enjoy strawberry juice very much, and am happy to drink it despite the risks. The vitamin C content will give your immune system a boost.

Dom (Sometimes Spelled Doum)

The dom palm tree grows primarily in southern Egypt and Sudan. Its botanical name is hyphaene thebaica.  Dom fruits have been found in some tombs from ancient Egypt.

I think of this fruit and the beverage made from it particularly as being associated with Nubian culture.  The fist-sized brown nuts are soaked, then pureed with sugar and water to make a delicious beverage.  I’ve also seen dom nuts used on strings of beads for decorating doorways in homes. The leaves of the palm tree are often used in making baskets.

The dom fruits grow on palm trees such as this one in Kom Ombo, Egypt. Photo copyright 2018 by Jewel, all rights reserved.

This photo shows a dom tree whose fruit hasn’t ripened yet. The fruit will turn brown when ripe.

I usually drink dom when I go to Aswan.  It’s a little sweet, but not too much.  Some places in Luxor and Kom Ombo will also serve it, but I don’t think I’ve ever found it in Cairo.

Sahlab

Sahlab is a thickened sweet drink, served hot.  Historically, sahlab was made from orchid roots, but today you’re more likely to find it made with cornstarch, arrowroot, or other thickener.  The ingredients include milk, the thickener, and sugar. It is served garnished with chopped pistachios and cinnamon.  I like to use it as a dessert drink.

Sugar Cane Juice

Sugar cane is one of the crops that many Egyptian farmers grow.  If riding in a bus or train from Luxor to Aswan, you’re likely to see many fields of sugar cane along the way.  So it’s only natural that sugar cane juice would be readily available throughout Egypt. There are small storefronts in many neighborhoods of Cairo where you can watch the vendor squeeze the sap out of the sugar cane for you, while you wait.

The juice is a light green color, and of course it tastes very sweet.  It is usually served at room temperature.  I always try to enjoy at least one glass of it when I’m visiting Egypt.

One time when a friend and I were riding in a taxi in Cairo, the driver pulled off to the side of the street before arriving at our destination.  He got out of the car, and went up to one of these sugar cane storefronts in a residential neighborhood.  It seemed odd at first that a taxi would stop en route to its destination while the passengers were still inside.  When I realized the driver was heading for the sugar cane juice vendor, I thought, “Well, I suppose it’s only fair that taxi drivers might get thirsty while working.”  We waited what seemed like a much longer time than I would have expected for him to get his glass of asir (juice). To our surprise, when he returned to the cab, he had not only a paper cup of it for himself, but also a cup for each of us!  We so much appreciated his kindness!

Erk Sous

I’m kind of amazed that in all my trips to Egypt, I haven’t yet tried erk sous. Maybe I’ll have to try some next time.  It is a sweet licorice syrup made from anise.

Legendary Egyptian dancer/choreographer Mahmoud Reda wears a costume of an erk sous (licorice syrup) vendor.

Erk sous is typically sold by street vendors carrying an urn on their backs, similar to the one in this photo.  The photo shows legendary dancer/choreographer Mahmoud Reda wearing an erk sous vendor costume for one of the skits performed by Reda Troupe. The very first Reda Troupe show in 1959 featured such a character in one of its skits.

Lemon Juice, With or Without Mint

Lemon with Mint
As you can see in this photo, lemon with mint has a slight greenish tint to its color. Photo copyright 2019 by Jewel, all rights reserved.

In Egypt, the lemon juice is delicious, made from fully ripened lemons, with some water and sugar added.  I like ordering a variation of it, which is lemon juice with mint, as shown in the photo.  Both are refreshing.

Beer

The primary two brands of beer that you’re likely to find in Egypt are Stella and Sakara Gold. Photo copyright 2019 by Jewel, all rights reserved.

Many restaurants in Egypt don’t serve alcoholic beverages, which makes sense when you consider the fact that it’s a Muslim country.  In Egypt, the craft of brewing beer dates back to Pharaonic times.  The religious prohibition came later, with the Arab conquest and conversion to Islam.

If you’re a connoisseur of craft beers, leave your beer-tasting mind set at home when you visit Egypt.   It’s not the place to explore IPA’s, porters, stouts, red ales, bocks, or other malty brews.  That said, places that do a large amount of business with foreigners often offer alcoholic beverages, and there are some local beers you can try.

Today, the two dominant brands of beer you’re likely to find in Egypt are Stella (no relationship to Stella Artois) and Sakara Gold.  Both are lagers, and both are manufactured by Al Ahram Beverages Company.  Other brand names exist in Egypt, but they don’t have the market share that these two do.

Images of Birds in the Tombs at Saqqara, Egypt

Many of my friends love birds, so I thought it might be fun to share photos I took of bird artwork on the walls inside the tombs at Saqqara near Cairo, Egypt.

When visiting these tombs, it is possible for tourists to purchase a camera permit allowing them to take photos inside. However, even with a camera permit, flash photography is prohibited, so it’s necessary to take either a camera that excels in low-light conditions, or a flashlight to illuminate the images while taking the pictures.

Inside the Tomb of Irukaptah

The tomb of Irukaptah dates back to approximately 2400 BCE, making this tomb over 4,400 years old.  It is also known as the Tomb of the Butchers because Irukaptah was the head of the butchers at the royal palace, and therefore his tomb contains some scenes on the walls inside that depict cattle being butchered.  Just inside the entrance, there is a row of statues set into the wall.  So far as I know, Irukaptah’s tomb is the only one at Saqqara that contains such statues.  A row of birds sits on a panel just above the heads of the statues.

Below is a closeup of the birds on the panel above the statues’ heads:

Inside the Tomb of Ty

Archaeologists estimate that the tomb of Ty was build circa 2494-2345 BCE, which would make it over 4,000 years old.  An entire wall inside the tomb of Ty is covered with images of birds.  This is a wide angle view of the wall.  If bird lovers have time to visit only one of the tombs at Saqqara, this one could be a good choice.

Here is a close-up showing the scene of the wading birds in the tomb of Ty in more detail.

This closeup from the tomb of Ty shows the geese in more detail:

Inside the Tomb of Ka-Gemni

Ka-Gemni was the Pharaoh’s son-in-law, and therefore was able to afford an elaborate tomb. The sign on the entrance to the tomb says that it was built approximately 2340, making it over 4,000 years old.  It is one of my favorites because it contains a scene on one of its walls showing a chorus line of dancers.  But there is other art on its walls that’s also worth seeing.  This beautiful marsh scene inside the tomb of Ka-Gemni shows several different types of birds.

Inside the Tomb of Ptahhotep

A scene inside the tomb of Ptahhotep shows several kinds of birds together.  It was built approximately 2350 BCE, over 4,000 years ago.

This drawing of birds appears inside the tomb of Ptahhotep at Saqqara, Egypt. Photo by Jewel, copyright 2019, all rights reserved.

Princess Idut

Idut’s tomb dates from the 5th dynasty, approximately 2360 BCE. These bas-reliefs still show some of the original color. Something that makes this scene different from many others is the fact each bird is a different type, and there is a butterfly in the middle!

This image of birds appears inside the tomb of Idut at Saqqara, Egypt. Photo copyright 2019 by Jewel, all rights reserved.

Mehu

I saw the tomb of Mehu for the first time in April 2019.  Before that, it had been closed to the public, finally opening in September 2018, 80 years after archaeologists discovered it.

Mehu lived around 2300 BCE, during the time of the sixth dynasty.  His title was Chief Justice and Vizier, and was married to the king’s daughter, Iku.

The tomb of Mehu is dated around 2300 BCE It contains many images of birds. Photo copyright 2019 by Jewel, all rights reserved.

Closing Thoughts

These are the only photos I’ve taken so far of birds on the tomb walls of Saqqara, but I hope to return in the future and take more!

I have visited the necropolis at Saqqara about 6 times.  It’s always a pleasure to go back, because every time I go, I see something new.  Even when I return to tombs I’ve seen before, I’ll often notice something that I missed on previous visits.

Also, only some of the tombs at Saqqara are open for the public to go inside. On my trips to Egypt in February 2017, April 2018, and March 2019, I engaged a guide to take me inside every tomb that was open at the time.  However, occasionally, Egypt will open another to attract tourists, so there’s often something new to see.