Sugarcane

One of the most notable and consistent features of the Cairo streets are the presence of fruit juice stands. These refreshment hubs stand unassumingly on nearly every street but never fail to gain the attention of locals and tourists hoping to take a small reprieve from the unwavering Egyptian heat.
A specialty of these stands is a drink known in Arabic as "aser asab" which translates to "sugarcane juice". The name is a fair description of the drink but fails to to this cultural phenomenon justice. I had never heard of, seen, or imagined this drink before coming here, but it has rapidly become one of my favorites. For under 20 American cents (1 Egyptian Pound) this drink can be, and likely is, enjoyed by anyone.
The most fascinating part of this drink is watching it being made. Thats right, unlike bottled juices and other local favorites like Pepsi and Seven Up, this drink is made right in front of the customer, or shortly before his arrival. What happens is that when the customer orders his drink, the person running the stand will take several of the sugarcane plants that are freshly delivered every few days and put them into a machine that grinds them up and squeezes the juice out of them. The juice falls out of the machine and into a bucket where it is rapidly transferred to a cup for the customer to savor.
Because it is so fresh, some locals claim that the juice is very healthy and provides many nutrients. A quick internet search revealed to me that in fact sugarcane juice, due to its high sugar content, is high in calories. However, the low level of processing that the juice goes through prevents it from losing many of the calories that other drinks lack, and certainly the drawbacks are not worse than those found in sweetened coffee based beverages and various brands of soda that have been processed countless times. In addition, this beverage has been known to heal sore throats, cold, and flu and is believed to be a cancer preventative. Due to the lack of simple sugars, aser asab is also a great source of energy and hydration, both very convenient in the hot Egyptian sun.
Although I had never seen anything like it, similar drinks exist around the world, most notably in Brazil, India, and Asian nations. There are variations in how the drink is served, for example in some places a squeeze of lemon or ginger is included.
But for a quick refreshing reprieve from the heat that dominates Cairo, there is nothing better than a freshly squeezed glass of aser asab. Although I had never seen or tasted this drink before coming here, I already see it as a wonderful innovation.