This just in…
January 17, 2005
My parents have just returned home from a holiday in Egypt, and upon their return my father, diligent reporter on all things food, has come back with news on Sorrel. It seems that Sorrel is THE drink in Egypt. Apparently it is an Egyptian beverage of daily consumption all across the country. Indeed, it has been so for years. Sorrel leaves, in fact, were even used by the Pharoahs to provide a red pigment to decorate their tombs.
Now, according to my father, the Sorrel in Egypt differs somewhat from the West Indian version that we were accustomed to when I was growing up. In Egypt, the drink is stronger and less sweet and is called Karkady in Arabic. The label reads “Hibiscus” in English. After performing an Internet search on “karkady”, you can actually find a lot of information on “hibiscus tea” - moreso than when trying to research “sorrel”. It turns out that Sorrel or Karkady is popular in many African nations, especially Egypt and the Sudan, but also in Germany and Mexico, as well as the West Indies. Learn more about it here.
How can a drink (or food for that matter) remain localized in today’s world? With the current excitement that surrounds food in America, where we can’t get enough of “new and exciting” and everyone is trying to know a little more about food than his or her neighbour, how is it that this drink hasn’t yet been introduced to our market? Perhaps it’s just a matter of time. True, Karkady can be tart, which might not appeal to the North American palate, but we could always opt for the sweeter West Indian version, Sorrel.
For the time being, Egypt will remain ahead of the United States in the Sorrel department. These days you can find jugs of Sorrel on the breakfast buffet tables in good hotels, with “help-yourself” glasses! (I wonder how often my valiant reporter helped himself?) It’s also obtainable wherever “street food” is available.
“Denys Laurence, reporting from Aswan.” … No wonder Dad enjoyed Egypt so much!