"O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, dedication of stones, and divination by arrows are an abomination, among the works of Satan. Abstain from such works so that you may prosper. Satan's plan is to stir up enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer. Will you not then abstain?"
- Quran 5:90-91
Muslims cannot drink alcohol. But some people evidently still need their beer, so there's a multiplicity of non-alcoholic "malt beverages" on the market. The Dutch and Germans saw an untapped market and sent over non-alcoholic Heinekin and Becks. One variety that I believe is local is called Birrel. They have it available at work and I tried one today. Absolutely terrible. No matter how much I wanted to look cool (which is the only possible reason we can see for drinking the stuff), I doubt I would be able to choke it down.
Though Egypt is predominately Muslim, it's not an Islamic state, so alcohol is still sold in speciality stores and some restaurants, but not in grocery stores. The local beer is called Stella. I tried it once and it's not that bad.
21 September 2007
Malt beverages
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6 comments:
What's the cost of this sinful drink? Is it too expensive to deter the Egyptians from partaking in its pleasure?
Stella can be anywhere from LE 5 to LE 20, depending on the fancyness of the place.
Also, during Ramadan, Egyptians are forbidden to drink alcohol at all. So only fancy or western hotels serve alcohol at all, and you must show your passport to be served!
That's interesting to know. Thanks.Mami
FYI - you can't sell alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content higher than 3.2 (don't ask me for the units, I can't remember) at grocery stores in the US. You can only sell (usually) what's called low-point beer. One of the many fun things I've had to research at my job.
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