Hot Beverages

The tea, the shay (شاي), is the traditional beverage of Egyptian sociability. It is drunken on every occassion, a glass of tea is part of the ritual of hospitality towards friends and strangers alike.

The common method is the black tea in which the tea leaves are brewd up crushed in loose form in water and remain in the drinking glass – it is also locally called “Egyptian Tea” (Shay Masry). But also the tea bag, common in the western world, the “Tourist Tea” (Shay Siahy), is used in Egypt.

The caffeine of the tea is bound by the tan agents after prolonged steeping, so that it is absorbed by the body more slowly. Presumably the risk of dental caries and high blood pressure are reduced.

The standard repertoire of an Egyptian coffee shop also includes the Hibiscus Tea, called Karkadeh, with its characteritic deep red colour.

The tea especially includes citric acid and malic acid, as well as tartaric acid and ascorbic acid (“vitamin C”). As a result it gets a fruity sour taste and is often drunk with sugar. There is also a cold variant, the Hibiscus Juice.

Traditionally the Hibiscus Tea is used to stimulate digestion, but also against colds. It has in the dry heat of Egypt also hot a thirst-quenching effect.

Another common drink of Egyptian coffee shops is the Aniseed Tea, the Yansoon. It is distinguished by its yellow colour and the characteristic odour of its essential oils.

With its essential oils that contain mainly anethole, the tea helps especially for problems with digestion and with the gastrointestinal tract, but also against cough.

The peppermint (Na′naa) is a popular plant for hot infusion beverages. Even though the peppermint is used rather as addition to the black tea or other common hot beverages in Upper Egypt, there is also the pure Peppermint Tea.

The essential oils of peppermint, including menthol, as well as other ingredients of peppermint help against gall-bladder problems and cramps in the gastrointestinal area, as well as against cold. Additionally the peppermint tea also has a refreshing effect.

A very spicy beverage is the Ginger Tea prepared from the rhizome of the ginger plant, called Jansabeel.

The ginger contains essential oil, resin acids and the hot-aromatic gingerol, but also vitamin C, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus. Its substances aid the digestion, strengthen the stomach and stimulate both appetite and digestion. It is also used to mitigate against nausea. Additionally its ingredients have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. The tea has also stimulates the perspiration, and hence it tends to be consumed in the heat or for strengthening the body’s defenses.

A very spicy and in former times rather exclusive beverage is the Cinnamon Tea, the Qarfa.

Particularly the essential oil contained in it makes the cinnamon very popular as a seasoning. It is also often drunk as a mixture with the Ginger Tea (Jansabeel-Qarfa Mix). Furthermore the ingredients of cinnamon are effective against microbes, such as bacteria.

In principle there is also the possibility to combine different kinds of tea to a Tea Mix (Miks).

The traditional form of coffee enjoyment is the so-called Turkish Coffee, which is also called Mocha according to the traditional trading centre in Yemen and in Arabic among others Qahwa Turky or simply Qahwa.

In this original form of coffee culture the coffe which is refined with cardamom is boiled in hot water. As a rule the desired amount of sugar is already added during the preparation process, therefore the desired sweetness is already asked when ordering. The ready brewed coffee is poured with the coffee grounds into the drinking cup, wherein the grounds relatively quickly lower and are left when drinking. Some coffee drinkers add a drop or two of cold water before the consumption for reducing the effect of the caffeine.

Also in Egypt the coffee without coffee grounds, known as Nescafé, is part of the common repertoire.

The Cappuccino is traditionally an Espresso, which is amply mixed with milk and milk froth.

For the Hot Lemon (Laymoon Saakhin) lemon juice is mixed with hot water and sugar.

The lemon juice is rich in vitamin C. The Hot Lemon is especially used against colds.

The selection of hot beverages in finally completed by the Cacao (Kakau).

The seed of the cacao tree which the cacao powder is obtained from contain a complex mixture of several hundred ingredients, of which many are beneficial to health. Thus the theobromine, serotonin and dopamine contained in cocoa can lighten the mood. Also the metabolism can be affected positively and the formation of vascular depositions can be reduced. In addition cocoa has presumably a blood pressure-reducing effect.