Egyptian Sweets and Drinks

Specialised

SWEETS: BASBOUSA of semolina in syrup; KUNAFA, especially in Ramadan; QATAYEF, the stuffed pancake, which is specifically a Ramadan sweet; ZALABYA and lokmat al-qadi; KAHK — the powdered-sugar biscuit of EID AL-FITR, whose moulded decoration is documented in medieval Egyptian and even earlier iconography; GHORAYEBA; OMM ALI, bread or pastry baked in sweetened milk with nuts; ROZ BE LABAN; MAHALABEYA; BALAH EL-SHAM; and the date sweets. DRINKS: TEA, drunk very strong and very sweet and the national drink; KARKADE, hibiscus, hot or iced, an Upper Egyptian and Sudanese-linked drink; SUGARCANE JUICE pressed to order, which is a street institution; TAMR HINDI (tamarind); ERK SOUS (liquorice) and KHARROUB (carob), both strongly associated with Ramadan; SOBIA, the sweet milky rice or coconut drink; QAMAR EL-DIN, apricot leather reconstituted and the classic Ramadan drink; fresh mango, guava and lime; and Turkish-style coffee, ordered by sweetness — saada, mazbout, ziyada. ⚠ AND THE AHWA IS THE INSTITUTION, not the coffee: the neighbourhood coffee house is a documented social form.