Webdesk: Wissal Abdel Ghany, like generations of Sudanese before her, crouched next to a fire to make a thirst-quenching drink for Ramazan.
The Islamic holy month in Sudan associated with “helo-murr,” a bittersweet drink created with great effort.
It’s on most northeast African tables after fasting.
“Without it, our table feels empty,” remarked Abdel Ghany, wearing a bright orange headscarf.
She sat in a small room in Om Eshr, a village outside Khartoum, where a few ladies scraped and spread a concoction before pouring it in transparent cups.
The 43-year-old stated “inherited from our mothers and grandmothers,” recipes have quenched thirsty fasters for decades.
Corn harvested, dried, powdered, and blended with spices like fenugreek, cumin, or even hibiscus, Sudan’s other Ramazan beverage.
Over several days, sugar and water absorb this concoction.
Abdel Ghany cooked the thick brown mixture into a leather-colored coating on a grill pan over wood fire coals.
The crepe-like layer is peeled off and saved to be soaked in the last phase to make the beloved drink.
Fasting Sudanese cool off with the drink, served as cold as possible.
Teamwork
Ramadan is one of Islam’s five pillars.
Observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, breaking their fast with family and friends.
The amber brew is so associated with Ramazan in Sudan that the US embassy tweeted photos of officials stirring it over embers and drinking it.
“together our sisters and friends” prepare the drink, according to Abdel Ghany.
“We make it together to share among ourselves,” she remarked.
She stated that some urban Sudanese don’t make it.
“But they still have to offer it for dinner, so they buy it ready-made,” she remarked.
Abdel Ghany considers helo-murr preparation and the holy month inseparable.
