Posts tagged: food
Life Blood
Leaving the coffee houses of Cairo, I postponed the trip south to Sudan by a brief séjour north to the fish of Alexandria. I wanted to make the most of one last opportunity for fresh sea-food on the Mediterranean before heading into the arid heart of Sudan, and then east to Ethiopia. I presumed that good fish would be off the menu until (or if) I reached the Kenyan coastline.
How naïve I was. The Nile is a huge source of fish, and the Sudanese know how to serve it.
“England. Fish & chips?” other travellers would often say to me when talking about British cuisine. In spite of my societal roots, I shy away from the floppy, fried offerings that many a street corner proposes, hunting out the fresher, grilled fare with a dash of spice & plenty of freshly squeezed lime.
The river is being tamed, though. Oil revenues mean investment in infrastructure is booming, with new roads, bridges and dams being built. The bridge that now links Karima & Merowe, the town on the opposing bank of the Nile, has rendered the ferries obsolete. They now stand aground, rusting amongst the verdure of the river’s banks and the fishermen repairing their nets.
Anfushi Souk
Comparing the souks of Cairo to those of Alexandria, one could draw certain conclusions about the two cities’ preoccupations. Those of Cairo were mostly filled with clothes, housewares, trinkets and fabric; a step into the materialistic world. The narrow lanes of the Anfushi souk in Alexandria, crammed between decaying buildings, seemed to hold the world’s fish-stock. Stall after stall offered sea-food, fresh from the cities many boats, as well as all that is required to serve a delicious meal.
Veiled women navigated the stands carrying their purchases on their heads, as those stood the other side of the counter chatted away, shaded from the midday sun. This place had atmosphere, and contrary to what I said about Alexandria’s European influences, this felt like the heart of the Middle East.
Divinity
Another reason for staying at the monastery is the goats’ cheese that the monks produce. It is divine.
A few of us hiked up to the local goat farm one day, and arrived just as a nanny-goat was giving birth to her kid. As well as the chèvre, the milk that these goats produce goes on to make lebneh and some sort of clotted curd, too. All of which goes very well with the local apricot jam.
