Random Stuff You May Not Know: Sixteen

 

Following number Fifteen last week, here are five new random topics for your illumination. 

 

1. Egyptian Pound Exchange Rates Over The Decades


The Change of Times

The featured image shows the exchange rates in 1956 Egypt taken from a newspaper clipping. 

What was added are the rates from a decade earlier when the British pound sterling (GBP) was closely linked to the Egyptian pound (EGP) — as part of the sterling area — with a fixed rate. Then following the crazy pounding ride the Pound went through up until 2025. It is certainly tough and sobering to see the result of 70 years of military rule in numbers.   

The post started on Facebook in 2013 and I’ve been updating it ever since, for the sake of documenting history. Alright, just remember to breathe. 


• 1945: 

1 USD = 0.24 Piastres (100 Piastres = 1 Pound or L.E/EGP)
1 BGP = 97 Piastres 

• 1956:

1 USD = 35.1020 Piastres 
1 CAD = 35.8426 Piastres
1 GBP = 97.4 Piastres

• 1963:

1 USD = 0.43 EGP

• 1973:

1 USD = 0.38 EGP

• 1979:

1 USD = EGP 0.70

• 1990:

1 USD = 1.5 EGP

• January 1995:

1 USD = 3.399 EGP

• December 2000:

1 USD = 3.890 EGP

• January 2005:

1 USD = 5.850 EGP

• March 2013:

1 USD = 6.7470 EGP
1 CAD = 6.5489 EGP
1 GBP = 10.1811 EGP

• February 2021:

1 USD = 15.672 EGP
1 CAD = 12.404 EGP
1 GBP = 21.996 EGP

• October 2022:

1 USD = 19.672 EGP
1 CAD = 12.404 EGP
1 GBP = 21.996 EGP

• January 2023:

1 USD = 24.715 EGP
1 EUR = 26.390 EGP
1 GBP = 29.815 EGP

• April 2023:

1 USD = 30.900 EGP
1 EUR = 33.861 EGP
1 GBP = 38.623 EGP

• February 2024:

1 USD = 31.121 EGP
1 EUR = 33.501 EGP
1 GBP = 38.04 EGP

• 2025 [rounded]:

1 USD = 50 EGP
1 EUR = 52 EGP
1 GBP = 62 EGP


What a ride! The Arabic caption in the clipping reads: No mention to Riyals (Saudi Arabia), Dinars (Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq), Dirhams (Emirates). 

Here is a head-scratching Historical Fact: 

Before the official Saudi Riyal was fully established, Saudi Arabia used a mix of foreign currencies, primarily the Ottoman silver 20-kuruş coin, the Maria Theresa Thaler (French Riyal), and the Indian rupee [what?!] until roughly 1928–1935. The first unified coins under King Abdulaziz were minted in 1925–1926.

Another fact is that sometimes in the 1950s my maternal grandfather Mohamed Yehia Hassan was sent by Egypt to the Emirates to help them set the basic structure of their first UAE government. He was formerly part of the Ministry of Interior during the King, also the head of the Interpol in Egypt, and later an ambassador. Interestingly, he was working there with a notable local tribal leader named Ahmed al Sweedy — who years later we discovered is none other than the uncle of our friend Switch.

“It was all a desert with basically only one road,” he would reminisce. And in a way you could somewhat envision his words all the way in 2000 when I went for training in Abu Dhabi and Dubai — despite the few skyscrapers. Apparently it developed even more... with higher and bigger buildings. From simple nomadic people to billionaires, good for them for such metamorphosis. Money can indeed do wonder.  


Sometimes you’re the windshield. Sometimes you’re the bug.  يا حلاوتك ياستفندي يابن عم البرتقال



2. Antigone Canstanda: The Egyptian Miss World Beauty 1954

The pageant was held on 18 October 1954 in London, England between 16 contestants. In addition to Arabic, Antigone spoke Greek, English, Italian, French fluently. The delightful Cypriot-Egyptian woman was the first Miss Egypt candidate to win the title for Egypt. And until today she is also the last to secure the crown. She also remains the only African [Egyptian] to win an international beauty pageant. Not that being in pageants is some kind of elemental achievement to be proud of, but we’re talking about representation. The woman was and still is indeed beautiful.   

Up until winning, Antigone was enjoying her life as a young model was in her native Egypt. But it was when she walked away with the glittering Miss World crown in 1954 that her career was catapulted to an international level. Modelling assignments in the Middle East, France, Italy, Greece followed. 

Later, her career moved into interior design as she ran a company designing the interior of business buildings. In recent years Antigone was one of the judges at the Miss Egypt 2006 contests. 

Another clip from Miss World 2011 — that also took also in London — shows a trip down memory lane with Antigone Costanda and Miss World 1953, Denise Perrier. 

A lesser known steamy photograph dug online in celebration of her beauty

3. Clothesline Canopy at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche

How Art Can Help Humanity.

The Clothesline Canopy project featured 5,000 pairs of socks that were to be donated to shelters in Toronto. The installation was seen during the free all-night art event Nuit Blanche in Toronto on Saturday October 5th, 2013.

The artists and designers behind it are: Sherri Newman, Tara Gaskin, Kristiana Schuhmann, Zack Eisenstein, Selen Levi, Megan Carroll, Sam Bruegger & William Vachon; all alumni of the School of Architecture at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. 

Another remarkable installation we were lucky to witness at the same event in Nathan Phillips Square was Ai Weiwei’s contemporary art “Forever Bicycles, 2013” — where he used 3144 bikes.

Ai Weiwei’s Forever Bicycles was quite the spectacular scenery

4. Genetic Reason Why Labradors Tend To Always Be Hungry

Eggseptional Lab News! ⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve been around quite a bit of doggos throughout my life, but have never, ever, seen any of them beg for food like Dahab the Labrador. Belonging to my cousin, during trips back to Egypt I would take him on daily walks, often spending the day together like he was mine. I even wrote a poem last year about missing him دوجو دهب. 

But seriously man, if you come close to the kitchen Dahab will follow you with his eyes until you reach a certain place — marked in his brain — then he will join you. If you just pretend you’re chewing something, he will keep focusing on your mouth to see if there is anything for him. That is every single time. Such a voracious appetite accompanying such looks by these forlorn eyes. It seem to be a psychological thing. No wonder some years back during one trip to Cairo I found him significantly overweight. The next year he was somewhat more in shape, but the begging and the appetite were certainly still there. ⠀⠀⠀⠀

A few friends who own Labs had talked about the same thing. Then, one day I came across an article titled Science Explains Why Your Lab Is Always Hungry. Ta-Da! ⠀⠀⠀⠀

Apparently the poor things cannot help their obsession with food due to a gene mutation. True story! 

Based on research primarily led by Dr. Eleanor Raffan at the University of Cambridge, a 14-base pair deletion in the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene has been identified as a major genetic driver of canine obesity. “Previous studies of this POMC variant have shown a relationship with appetite and a feeling of fullness.” This deletion causes a “double-whammy” of increased hunger and reduced energy expenditure — a significant, first-of-its-kind discovery that sheds light on why certain breeds are prone to obesity.⠀⠀ . ⠀⠀

Key findings regarding the study include Prevalence: Roughly 25% of Labrador Retrievers and 66% of Flat-Coated Retrievers carry this specific mutation.

Breed Specificity: The mutation is found in Labrador Retrievers and closely related Flat-Coated Retrievers, but is notably absent in many other breeds screened, including Golden Retrievers in some studies, despite their similar reputation for being obesity-prone.

So if you’re a lab owner and have been wondering what’s up with your doggo, worry not and know they are born like that. Also keep it in mind [NOT] to overfeed them because they may have a hard time saying no due to their inner wirings. Woof. 


With that, Some Animals I Shot is a photo-article here on One Lucky Soul.  
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Look at me not overweight: Probably his first time to be carried like
 this as an adult.

5. Subway Mariachis

“Mariachi” refers to a traditional Mexican style of music and musical group performance dating back to at least the 18th century. Ever since, it has evolved over time in the countryside of various regions on the western parts of the country. Mariachi has a distinctive instrumentation, musical genre, performance and singing styles, and clothing — called charro suit. ⠀

Consisting of an embroidered jacket, pants, and vest, the dapper attire is a style of dress based on the clothing of a type of horseman, the charro. The short coat, however, is worn by men and women alike. The origins of the charro outfit may be traced back to the city of Salamanca in Western Spain; as the Spanish conquistadors brought this type of clothing with them to Mexico.

Usually, the small ensemble strolls from one place to another while playing their music.

The term “Mariachi” is also used to describe the individual performer(s) of mariachi music as well as for the music itself. 


And now we know. 


*The portrait above taken at a Toronto subway station in 2011 came to be part of three other photo-articles Some People I Shot, More People I Shot, and Some More People I Shot.⠀

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Random Stuff You May Not Know: Fifteen

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Random Stuff You May Not Know: Fifteen

Everyone has a story if we are wiling to listen. Similarly, behind almost anything and everything there is some interesting story awaiting its storyteller. 

 

Following the recent revival of the Random Stuff You May Not Know series with number Twelve, here is number Fifteen only two weeks later. The five new topics are: The Original Muscle Beach of Santa Monica, Who is Santa Monica?, Loofah (‘luffa’), Teabags, and Tzatziki.

Something about the revival seems to have unleashed some creative force within me. Perhaps related the fact that until now I am merely compiling earlier fragmented pieces about all sorts of different topics into one place, most written after 2019 following number Eleven. This takes a different editorial energy than creating something from scratch. That said, I must confess there are five or six semi-finalised longer pieces still wresting and snuggling together, awaiting their right time. Until it happens, the informative series here is helping out the creative process.

Alright, let’s do this...    



1. The Original Muscle Beach of Santa Monica

Arriving in Los Angeles in March 2014 after coddiwompling across the U.S for six months, there were no fixed plans. Certainly coming across the Venice Beach Drum Circle one day and falling in love it with was a major reason for relocating to the Westside. After three years in Canada and months of Jack Kerouacing on the road across the East Coast and Middle America, being on or by the beach felt like paradise. The weather, O’ the weather. 

Having cool vibrant street art all over the area was one more reason. Using only a bike to move around was yet another factor that compelled me to remain as close as possible to the beach — for sheer practicality.   

Little did I know that rents had become so high due to Gentrification, it took months of AirBnb short stays between Venice and Santa Monica, with intervals when I would go stay at my aunt in the Valley and save money. But certainly, I wasn’t there in L.A to live a 45-minutes drive away from the beach. 

Eventually I came to realise that Santa Monica was too clean and even somewhat affluent for me. It actually felt it too “white” for lack of a better word. This became apparent when comparing it with neighbouring Bohemian Venice, where I felt more at home even far and away from home, and where I remained for the following few years. I mean, having been recently living in Toronto where it was so clinically clean, that it seems a bit unreal. Not that cleanliness and order are inherently bad things, but let us say I felt more drawn to the cooler balanced artistic chaos of Venice — despite both neighbourhoods being mere 10 minutes away on the bike, an enjoyable ride too. 

Again, having the drum circle must have influenced the choice. The few people I briefly shared home with in Santa Monica may have been another factor. 

Santa Monica Beach with mother, July 1979. Who would have thunk?! 

Once settled in Venice, occasional visits to Santa Monica were either to a restaurant, usually with someone. Or during the day to what is known as Santa Monica’s Muscle Beach — seen in the featured photo. There, I would leave the bike by the path and go for some pull-ups and dips, then back to Venice. One day I wanted to write a caption for the photo and Googled the name to discover something that was new to me. 

Googling “outdoor gym” on Santa Monica beach to make sure it’s not called something else when “Muscle Beach” appeared on the screen. In my head I was like: No, dumdum Google; if I wanted Muscle Beach, I would have written Venice Beach, because the whole world knows it’s where the actual Muscle Beach is located. Duh.

A few seconds of reading showed that apparently THE original Muscle Beach in Los Angeles, the birthplace of the physical fitness boom in America during the 20th century, refers to this exclusive Santa Monica beachy location on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier. Mainly for gymnastics, it goes back all the way to 1934 when it was simply named “Santa Monica Beach Playground”. Huh.

Then in 1959 it was removed by the City of Santa Monica, due to difficulties in the day-to-day maintenance and supervision of this original Muscle Beach gym. 30 years later in 1989, it was officially rededicated the original Muscle Beach and today it serves gymnasts and acrobats.

Now what about Muscle Beach with all the barbells, weightlifting, bodybuilding, and Arnold Schwarzenegger located towards the other end of the Boardwalk in Venice? The landmark we see in movies and songs. 

Well, this came to being 18 years after the original Santa Monica one had been established. In 1952, a small weight pen was built near Windward Avenue, which was renovated in 1990 to become the large facility we currently see. 

In 1987, the City of Los Angeles officially dedicated “Muscle Beach Venice” with the added word ‘Venice’ in its title to distinguish it from the original Santa Monica “Muscle Beach”. So while the original remains for Callisthenics, all barbells and weightlifting/bodybuilding equipment are found in its remodelled younger sister gym with the weight pen in Venice.

And now we know. Invigorating place to exercise.

One much more dramatic visit to Santa Monica is covered in A Dollar & Thirty Four Cents in Me Pocket and Feeling Fine. The article is part of the Chronicling The Journey series here on One Lucky Soul.


  
2. So Who Is Santa Monica Anyway?

Might as well. 

Santa Monica is a prominent coastal city in Los Angeles with an environment of mountains, canyons, rolling hills, valley, and ocean. The area was previously inhabited by the Tongva people and was called “Kecheek” in the Tongva language. The first non-indigenous group to set foot in Kecheek was the party of explorer Gaspar de Portolà, who camped near the present-day intersection of Barrington and Ohio Avenues on August 3, 1769. 




Saint Monica (AD 322–387), also known as Monica of Hippo, was an early Christian saint and the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. On the basis of her name, it is assumed she was born in Thagaste (present-day Souk Ahras, Algeria) and believed to have been a Berber.



Saint Monica is remembered and honoured in most Christian denominations — albeit on different feast days — for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly the suffering caused by her husband’s adultery; also for her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his Confessions. Popular Christian legends recall Saint Monica weeping every night for her son Augustine. 



There exists two accounts of how the city’s name came to be: The first, in honour of the feast day of Saint Monica, despite her feast day being May 4. According to the second version, it was named by Juan Crespí on account of a pair of springs, the Kuruvungna Springs (Serra Springs), which were reminiscent of the tears Saint Monica shed over her son’s early impiety.



I knew of Augustine of Hippo from his philosophical quotes I sometimes share. The last of which is actually the very first in Some Soulful Travel Quotes: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” The connection however was only made when I got curious about who that Westside neighbourhood was named after. 

Come to think about it, many names of places have their own history and backgrounds, their own stories. From the top of my head, there is Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera: Now who were those? Next times.   

3. Loofah (‘luffa’) has seeds because it is planted! 

 

Always learning. In my mid 40s, I found out one day that natural loofahs have seeds… because they are planted. Whaaa? And can be edible. Double whaaa?!

When coming across the ones shown here displayed at the weekly Amanda Market in Dahab, Nienke illuminated me with the fact. Mind: Blown. While I had never really thought about the origin of the loofah/loofa, in the back of my mind it was probably some kind of aquatic specimen; you know, like a “sea sponge” we see around corals. But nope, that’s a common misconception apparently.

A bit of reading later showed that loofah, with ‘luffa’ being scientific name, is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash, and gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). “It is cultivated and eaten as a vegetable, but must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Vietnam. When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous.” 

The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge we know and use as shower accessory for cleaning and exfoliating the skin — sometimes also used in kitchens. Ta-Da.

Interestingly, the name ‘luffa’ was taken by European botanists in the 17th Century from the Egyptian-Arabic name ( لوف ) lūf.

In North America it is sometimes known as “Chinese okra” while in Spanish as ‘estropajo’.

Now we know.

 
4. Tea Bags

Speaking of recently learned stuff, this one is about the proper way to use teabags. Yeah, imagine. 

Now as as kid, I first learned about teabags from my father who used to have tea for breakfast everyday. After the initial dip he would would squeeze it with the spoon like two seconds later and that was that.

My maternal grandmother as well as aunt used a pot where the teabags would take their time, as they would have often have more than one cup. Not being much into tea at the time, I never made the distinction between those different ways they prepare tea... until the two and half years spent alone on the beach in El Ein El Sokha.

One random day — also in my 40s — while holding a teabag in hand, something printed on the label got my attention. “From 3 to 5 minutes”. Wait what? 

Apparently that is common knowledge among tea drinkers. And not just tea, as you can see with the Ginger-Cinnamon mix above. Why is that a standard recommendation? 

Brewing for this specific time window allows for optimal extraction of aroma and colour as the deeper more complex flavour — known as briskness — is released into the water. Regarding black tea, less than that and the drink may be too light, more too bitter.

Other variations are Green tea, requiring a shorter 1-2 minutes. Also Herbal tea require longer, like 5+ minutes.

Of course ever since that discovery I keep the tea-ginger-cinnamon mix [or anything else] for at least 5 minutes. And the outcome is absolutely a richer more wholesome taste. All these years of quick squeezing felt like a waste. 

I also keep testing people left and right, often at the most random of times, but sometimes in cafes. Some do know, other don’t, which makes me feel a bit better for never venturing to read the small prints on each and every teabag. Then again, maybe those are relatively new. Well, you live and learn.  

Somehow the teabags topic made it to two previous articles. A wee random. One is from list-article Bizarre Random Facts (2015):

• In 1904, tea bags were invented accidentally when Thomas Sullivan decided that it was cheaper to send small samples to potential customers in silk bags instead of boxes. The recipients believed they were meant to be dunked and soon Sullivan was flooded with orders for his “tea bags”. 

The other list-article from the OLS Archives is Most Expensive Food in the World (2013): 

• The world’s most expensive tea bag for the PG company came to being to celebrate their 75th anniversary. Manually decorated with 280 diamonds, this British cup of tea is worth £7,500. Yep.

Chai Ti: Meditative martial art uniquely practiced by tea drinkers. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 


5. Tzatziki is my new Sadiki

The first time I heard the word Tzatziki was in Toronto while buying some chicken Shawerma. It was an added garlicky sauce which tasted pretty good. Funnily, the first time I was asked if I needed Tzatziki, it was an Iranian or Middle Eastern guy working at a place close to where I lived. “Tzatzik?” He asked. What I heard was “Sadiki? (صديقي)”, meaning “My friend?” in Arabic. So I smiled and said yes. Pfff. It took me one more visit to reckon that it’s the name of an added sauce. 



This was not the first time to eat a mix of this enticing combination of yoghurt, cucumber, and herbs as a mezze or paste — without the garlic though. But it was the first to hear the word and taste the added garlic.

So what is Tzatziki? 



Tzatziki is a sauce or paste served with grilled meats or as a dip served alongside other mezzes, dishes, and ouzo. It is made of salted strained yogurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) or diluted yogurt, mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and some herbs like dill, mint, parsley, thyme. 


Just as it happened with Imam Bayildi the Ottoman Empire eggplant appetiser I first came across in L.A, I found that similar dishes with different names as Tzatziki exist in many places around the world. 



While called Tzatziki in Greece, it is known as Talattouri in Cyprus, and Tarator in the Balkans — or “Dry Tarator” in Bulgarian and Serbian cuisine. It is also a popular dish in Albania. 

In Iraq it is called Jajeek and in Iran Mast-o-khiar.

In Turkish it is Cacik, which is where the word ‘Tzatziki' originates from; in turn it is likely a loanword from the Armenian Cacıg.

Fast-forward five years later when one day I came across this Cedar’s product in a local grocery store in Los Angeles and got it. Then, I rarely ate meats so it was time to experiment. 

First I enjoyed Tzatziki as a dip with carrots and avocado. Then added it to baked potatoes. And finally with smoked salmon as shown below. Sea salt, pepper, basil, peppercorn, thyme leaves, ground ginger, and a dash of lemon juice were added: All totally new, sensually enticing experiences worth trying. Boy Oh Boi. 

Delicious creation: Nom Nom Nom 

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Random Stuff You May Not Know: Fourteen

1. Persimmon — Kaki


One of the tastiest fruits ever is Persimmon. It is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros, of which the most widely cultivated is the Asian or Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki). Hence the name Kaki as it’s known in certain parts of the world, including Egypt.

Also known as Oriental Persimmon and Japanese Persimmon, the fruit is native to China where it has been cultivated for many centuries and where more than two thousand different cultivars exist. Eventually, persimmon spread to Japan — about 1300 years ago — and Korea where additional cultivars were developed. It was first brought to the U.S when introduced to California in the mid 1850s.

Today’s major producers are China, Japan, Brazil, Korea and Italy, while minor producers are Israel, U.S, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Georgia, Egypt and Chile.

Generally and commercially, there two different kinds of persimmon: Astringent Varieties and Nonastringent Varieties.

Astringent include Eureka, Saijo, Tamopan, and Triumph, which is sold as Sharon Fruit after astringency has been chemically removed.

The Nonastringent include Fuyu, Izo, Jiro, and Suruga among others.

Persimmons are fiber-rich fruits which are low in calories and fats. They are an outstanding source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as contain a wide variety of antioxidants. ⠀

The word Diospyros comes from the ancient Greek words “dios” (δῐος) and “pyron” (πῡρον). A popular etymology interpreted this as “divine fruit”, or as meaning “wheat of Zeus”, “God’s pear”, and “Jove’s fire”. According to sources, however, the dio-, as shown by the short vowel ‘i’ has nothing to do with ‘divine’ (δῑoς ); dio- being an affix attached to plant names, and in classical Greek the compound referred to “the fruit of the nettle tree”. ⠀

As for the word ‘persimmon’, it is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Powhatan, an Algonquian language of the eastern United States, meaning “a dry fruit”. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀

Now you know. Time to Nom Nom Nom. 

2. Pigeons, Doves, Quails, Squabs 

While growing up my grandmother’s household made stuffed pigeons maybe once or twice a year. It was something we enjoyed on rare occasions and only when home-made. At restaurants across Egypt they often serve the grilled pigeons, which are considered kind of a snack that isn’t really filling — at least comparatively — unless you consume quite a bit.

Of course during the decade spent in North America there was none. Same for the first two and a half years in Dahab before discovering they made stuffed pigeons at the local grill El Sharkawy. So naturally I gave them a go. Shortly after during last Ramadan I found them served at Nounette. Ever since, once every few months I then tell the owner Nada about a certain date, say a week earlier, and she would make them sur demande... all the way from Cairo. Tasteful they are. Also, the indoor and outdoor cats have a ball on that day, leaving absolutely nothing to waste

Beside the taste, to me it is one of those unique meals that take me places while bringing childhood memories to the surface. You can read about a game I played mainly with grandparents as a young boy using the pigeon’s wishbone, known as furcula, in The Origin of ‘Wishbone’ and the “Yadas - Fi bali” (يدس - في بالي) Game.

There is also another investigative piece about yet another unique culinary delicacy that is  Eating Cows’ Trotters — كوارع. Only this one I began eating much later in life, as my younger self was never exposed to it.  

Alright, now to the essence.

In Arabic, Pigeons, Doves, and Quails are known as ( حمام، يمام، سمان ) respectively. 

While I knew pigeons are ( حمام ), the other two remained confusing. Interestingly, my grandfather Omar Cherif homed and bred pigeons as seen in photo below. He shared an uncanny resemblance to Nikola Tesla who apparently used to communicate with pigeons. 
With that, I began digging into these somewhat similar yet seemingly distinct types of birds.

Now, pigeons (Columba livia) [ حمام ] (hamam) — also known as Common Pigeon, Rock Dove, Rock Pigeon — are members of the bird family Columbidae, which are distributed on almost every continent. They have a pale grey plumage with two distinct black bars across each wing. With a dazzling speed of 150 km/h, their lifespan in the wild is around 6 years. The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) is a descendant of this species. Escaped domestic ones have increased the populations of feral pigeons around the world.

Grandfather Omar Cherif with pigeons he bred and homed 

Doves (Streptopelia) [ يمام ] (yamam) is a genus of birds also in the family Columbidae. As it turns out, in scientific nomenclature there’s no difference between pigeon & dove; but colloquial English tends to categorise them by size — some even do it by colour; usually they are smaller than pigeons. However, both doves and pigeons refer to the 308 species of birds from the family. While the word dove came into English from Nordic languages, pigeon was borrowed from French.

Then there are Quails (Coturnix coturnix) [ سمان ] (semman) or Common Quail. Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. Old World quail and New World quail belong to different families. Also, quail eggs are smaller than chicken eggs, yet contain more fat, protein, iron, riboflavin, and Vitamin B12 by weight.

If I recall correctly, we had semman at grandmother’s only like once or twice over the years, as a secondary choice probably when the hamam was not available. It is a smaller bird with less meat, yet tasting almost the same.

Stuffed pigeons being eyed by Floppino and his instincts 

Then there are also the lesser known Squabs, referring to young pigeons. The word in Arabic is [ زُغْلُول ] (zughlūl) or [ فَرْخ الحَمام ] (far' al-hamam).

In culinary terminology, a squab refers to an immature — unfledged — domestic pigeon, typically under 4-weeks old, or its meat. It is widely described as tasting like dark chicken. The term is probably of Scandinavian origin; the Swedish word “skvabb” means loose, fat flesh. While squabs can be found in Egypt, certainly not as much as pigeons. Personally, I have never come across them. 

Historically, squabs/pigeons have been consumed in various civilisations, like ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, and Medieval Europe. There are also anecdotes from not so long ago about people in the region eating hamam stuffed with hashish. How about that. 

And now we know. 


Another earlier triad here on One Lucky Soul is the article The Difference Between Mandarin, Tangerine, and Clementine (2015), which happens to be number three in the all-time views list with tens of thousands. 

3. Alla Puttanesca

 

 

Pasta Alla Puttanesca

‘Whorechata’ was defined in Words I Made Up — The Fourquel as a milky beverage made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, and barley that is favoured by prostitutes. Uhu.
Similarly, the word ‘puttanesca’ had also come mind. Wanting to play with it, I checked its meaning and origin to find something utterly amusing, probably common knowledge to some.  

So, ‘puttanesca’ is an adjective denoting a pasta sauce typically including tomatoes, garlic, olives, olive oil, anchovies, and capers. Invented in Naples mid-20th Century, “Alla puttanesca” in Italian literally means “In the style of a whore”. The word originates from puttana ‘prostitute’, because the sauce is said to have been devised by prostitutes as one which could be quickly cooked between clients’ visits. Ta-Da.

Ha-Ha. My potential wordplay has been ruined.

*The photo shows five prostitutes waiting for customers in a brothel in Naples, Italy — 1945.


4. Common Figs (Ficus carica) — [ تين برشومي ]

Figment of the Figurehead

Depending on the season, street food vendors in Egypt are known for selling a wide variety of items. The carts seen around my neighbourhood mainly offer grilled corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, bananas among other fruits like figs here, aka common figs ( تين برشومي ). In more rural areas you would find popcorn, different vegetables, chickpeas, even juices.
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Generally speaking, fruits and veggies around many such parts of the world tend to be significantly tastier than, say, North America. Ask anyone who has tried both and they will certainly concur. While the look, size, and colour may seem more appealing in the New World, the richer, more natural taste of the produce coming from the Old World remains incomparable. Peaches, watermelon, mango are just few examples from the top of me head. ⠀

With that, here is another succulently juicy fruit from the old world: the Common Fig (Ficus carica). Simply known as fig, this Asian species of flowering plant is part of the mulberry family. 

Figs happen to be one of the oldest crop plants in the world. Cultivated as an agricultural crop in the Mediterranean, it was a staple in the ancient Greek diet. Aristotle himself was an actual fan. Figs were even mentioned in the Bible

While it is native to the Middle East and western Asia, it has been naturalised in various locations across Asia and North America and now is cultivated throughout the globe — for its fruits as well as an ornamental plant. In 1880, they were introduced to California where they eventually thrived due to its Mediterranean climate.

The term fig originates from the Latin word, ficus, as well as the older Hebrew name, feg. The name of the caprifig (Ficus caprificus Risso) is derived from Latin, with capro referring to billygoat and ficus referring to fig.

In Arabic it’s called[ تين برشومي ]  — spelled like ‘teen’. The ones seen here are Egyptian and they are delightfully mouthwatering. Apparently Egypt is number two in world production of raw figs after Turkey and before Algeria. Together these three nations account for 58% of the world’s total.

Figs contain potassium as well several other vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, B vitamins, magnesium and iron. The skin is edible and is supposedly beneficial for the digestive system. 



5. Thorny Figs (Opuntia ficus-indica) [ تين شوكي ] —

Figuring the Figurative
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Since we’re at it, here is a sibling fruit to common figs sharing the same name, which can also be acquired from street vendors in Egypt: Opuntia ficus-indica ( تين شوكي - literally thorny fig). 

Other English names for the plant and its “fruit” are Indian Fig Opuntia, Barbary Fig, Prickly Pear, Cactus Pear, Spineless Cactus. More Arabic names are ( صبير التين الهندي - أكناري - البِلِس ). 

Notice fruit is between “ ” because technically figs are not fruits in the traditional sense, but rather they are a mass of inverted flowers and seeds. Who knew? Most people however refer to them as fruits.
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Domesticated since a long time ago, it is widely agreed this species of cactus originated in Mexico before spreading throughout the world by the 16th century. In Mexican Spanish, the plant is called nopal, while the fruit is called tuna — both terms used in American English, especially as culinary terms. Unlike the seedless figs, opuntia is full of seeds, yet I was just reminded that you end up eating most of them.

Mexicans have used Opuntia for thousands of years to make an alcoholic drink called colonche. They also eat the young cactus pads by slicing them into strips and served with fried eggs and jalapeños. 

Lastly, just like how botanically Arugula is Eruca sativa, those thorny figs are Opuntia ficus-indica. Another reason to love fruits… and plants and cacti. Wink Wink. 

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