Everywhere you go in Egypt there seems to be a "Shisha" cafe. Whether you are in a glitzy resort town like Sharm El-Sheikh, or in the more rural towns, there is always a shisha cafe nearby. Any visitor to the country cannot help but wonder about this pastime.
Shisha, also know as water pipe, argilah (in some Middle Eastern countries), hookah, or even hubbly bubbly, this is THE Egyptian pastime. While on your visit to Egypt you will notice that most Egyptians, mostly the men, spend their evenings, nights and even mornings, sitting around in cafes, smoking their shisha´s, while sipping on strong tea, or Egyptian coffee, and playing a game of backgammon or chess.
The predominance of shisha is staggering, there seems to be no escape from this culture, so what is a shisha? A shisha, to put it simply, is a water pipe, where a special type of tobacco, called mi’asil, is drawn down a narrow pipe into a basin of water and then out through a tube into the lungs of the smoker.
Shisha tobacco, unlike other forms, is smoked for flavour and not for any kind of effect (in most cases). Shisha smoke is usually very light and flavourful, with an appealing fruity aroma that even non-smokers tend to like. The aroma can be smelt even before you get to the cafes.
Shisha is a relaxing and peaceful pursuit that is enhanced by the regular “bubbling” sounds that result from the smoke travelling through the water. Ok, so let us describe the shisha, so that everyone can understand what we are talking about.
A shisha pipe is made up of several parts; the base (usually glass) which is partially filled with water; a small bowl which contains the tobacco or molasses, on which hot coals are placed to burn the tobacco; a pipe which connects the bowl to the base and descends into the water, and finally a hose that connects to a second tube in the pipe, but does not descend into the water and instead sucks up the smoke that travels down the pipe and through the water.
When the smoker inhales through the tube, a pressure difference is created that forces air past the coal, heating the tobacco, which then gives off smoke. The smoke is pulled down from the tobacco, and bubbles up through the water into the air of the smoke chamber. From there, it is drawn through the hose and inhaled by the smoker. The water not only cools the smoke, but also partially filters some of the tar and other substances. The tobacco itself, the mi’asil, is tobacco mixed with fruit molasses and honey (hence the name mi’asil, which comes from the Arabic word for honey, “asal”). Other names sometimes used for this include: tabac, tombak, tumbak, gouza, guza, etc.
To be even more specific about this tobacco, it is a ground up mixture of dried fruit pulp, flavoured molasses, and fresh tobacco leaves.Although, there are now non-tobacco Molasses on the market, these are becoming more and more popular due to the health problems constantly in the press.
If you are a non-smoker or wish to try a non-tobacco Shisha ask for a non-tobacco Shisha. The most popular flavour is Apple.
Enjoy !!
|
