Kassala is famous for its coffee jebbana, spiced with ginger zinjabil and cinnamon girfa' and served in a clay coffee pot, with incense and popcorn on the side. The best place for the full treatment is at one of the cafes on the slopes of Totil mountain. Otherwise, Kassala is full of tea stalls, where coffee is served in smaller coffee pots made from recycled Pif-Paf cans.
jebbana - coffee.
bi dawa thagiil - with lots of ginger and cinnamon.
bi dawa khafiif - with a little ginger.
saliiga - without ginger.
shay - tea.
shay kerkedeh - pink hibiscus tea.
shay bi laban - tea with hot milk.
fawgu jumaada - with lumpy bits of milk some people do ask for it!.
shay faransi - literally "French tea", this is actually coffee with milk.
Fruit juices are excellent in Kassala, and made fresh at many stalls in the souq, so you can ask for one without sugar. Mango and guava are the best, but orange tends to be diluted with a lot of water and mixed with bucketloads of sugar, so avoid it. Local juices include aradeeb a brown tangy juice, similar to tamarind and sha'iir made from a white powder and a bit like cold malted milk.
