Helamor and White Abre – Sudanese Ramadan Beverages

The two drinks pictured here are traditional Sudanese drinks that people have during Ramadan. You don’t have to be Muslim to drink the drinks, it is more a cultural phenomenon like Egg Nog at Christmas time. My brother warned me repeatedly about the Helamour (or “sweet and sour”). He claimed that it was truly a test of his will to get even a sip down. I was ready for the worst. Helamour (the dark liquid above) is a drink made from sheets of herbs and spices toasted a certain way. The sheets are dissolved and then the drink is sifted to remove sediment. Sugar is added and it is chilled before serving. When I tasted it, I didn’t really see the fuss my brother was making. It tasted to me like a sweet iced tea with hints of frankincense. That sounds weird and it is, but it wasn’t as horrifying as my brother made it out to be. I actually enjoyed it and had a second glass as my brother looked on in horror. The White Abre is another story. This is a yogurt or milk based drink with soggy, flaky pieces of kisra (flat bread) floating in it. My mother swears that the milky white color is from the bread and not from yogurt or milk, so I could be wrong. Nonetheless, the texture and taste is kind of like soggy corn flakes floating in milk, except the flavor is less corn and more peet-y. I thought the flavor was pretty good, but the texture was just hard to get down by drinking it from a glass. My brother was having none of it. He tried it and exclaimed that it was worse than the helamour. While I can’t say these will be my go to drinks any time soon, I’m thrilled that I got to try them (especially since it was December and not Ramadan).