Sugar cane is “Egypt´s national drink.” How “Egyptian” is sugar cane? As futile of a question as asking how Egyptian is the blood that runs down Egyptian veins. If the fact that every juice shop in Cairo sells “asab” (Arabic for sugar cane), or that it is sold in a multitude of formats across the city, are not sufficient proof that asab is a pure shot of smoky-green life, a rundown of Egypt´s juices may prove that perhaps “Egypt´s national drink” is in fact an understatement. Where does sugar cane come from? The small room was suddenly filled with the expectant eyes, full of curiosity, of seven Upper Egyptian men. A couple of shy yet amused faces kept gathering outside the room, peering through the window. This room is the office of Cairo´s largest asab market located in Al-Matariyyah, a local district in Northern Cairo with roughly 8 million inhabitants; and the men, Cairo´s mythical suppliers. With skin burnt by the sun and donning brown “galabeyas,” which blended playfully with their clay skin, the men awaited the questions that can now only attempt to do them justice. Cairo´s main suppliers…
