The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Welcome back Dish of the week readers, we have missed you. The long Eid holiday was exactly what we wanted and, quite frankly, needed. The summer sun is shining, the birds are singing, and people are longing to enjoy it all outside instead of being cooped up indoors. Being stuck inside an office can be bad for employee morale, but that holiday sure helped lessen the office work blues. Since we are all about looking for the silver linings this summer, this week’s mood is a mix of emotions, flavours, colours, and textures – just like a big bowl of delicious fresh Fakhfakhina. 

This nostalgic crowd pleaser is all about simpler times; the full-on 90s juice shop vibes before all the gourmet juice bars flooded the food scene. If you do not know what Fakhfakhina is, think of it as an elevated fruit salad, only a bit Egyptianized. Fruit salad, as it is known today, is a mixture of fresh fruits, canned fruits and sweeteners which dates back to the mid-1800s. However, we Egyptians always like to add our own twist to things; hence Fakhfakhina came into existence. You can regard this invention as a drink, fruit salad or perhaps an ice cream float. But to make it simple, Fakhfakhina is a heavenly mix of juice, ice cream, and freshly cut seasonal fruits. It has been popularised as street food in Egypt and a quick, tasty fix to cool off under the scorching sun.

Let’s paint a picture together: Imagine life is a big bowl of Fakhfakhina. It’s colourful, with many textures and flavours, and it includes a variety of fruits. And even though Fakhfakhina doesn’t typically contain lemons, it does have fruits that are somewhat tangier than others. Some fruits burst with flavour; some are plump and juicy, while others are less sweet and may turn sour quickly if not eaten. But together, they all make a beautiful display and serve as a delight to the taste buds. And just like how a fruit salad or a Fakhfakhina would be so dull if it only contained one kind of fruit, the same goes for “life” if we’re only to experience one emotion at all times, even if it’s happiness. 

We have colourful places in our lives where we excel and shine, but we also have sour, sticky places that usually stem from guilt and regret. We have sweet spots where we feel loved and cherished. And we also have bitter areas, whether it is grief, loneliness, or a hardened heart. All of these together form our life, a Fakhfakhina mix of emotions, situations, and events topped with some vanilla ice cream to make things more interesting and delicious. So don’t overthink or nitpick into your feelings or fruit salad; enjoy each spoonful with a calm mind and open heart – that’s where the true beauty of it lies.