Badea Abu Al-Naja

Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — Most people in Makkah love to have the drink subya when they break their fast.



This popular beverage is made of barley, dried bread, raisins, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. It is served ice cold and comes in two colors, red and white.



It is undoubtedly the drink of choice for quenching the thirst of people in Makkah.



There are two families in the city that are known for their tasty subya — Al-Khodari and Ibn Al-Wahaj.



Most visitors from outside Makkah love to have a drink or two of subya when they visit the city to perform Umrah during Ramadan.



Subya is made in different ways. The red one is made from whole wheat bread, cardamom, and cinnamon. The bread is left for hours until it dries. Water is poured onto the dried bread, which is then put into special machines that will turn it into juice. Cardamom and cinnamon will be added to the juice. After being left for an entire day, the juice will be cleared of any hard pieces or seeds. The white subya is made in the same way with berry colors added to it.



There is another type of subya that is raisin-flavored. Yemeni raisins are usually used to make this variant of the drink. Raisins are put inside water and left for a full day. They are then boiled and placed into big barrels for another day before they are turned into juice using special machines after cardamom and cinnamon are added.



This type of subya is more expensive. A big can of subya, which can fill three big glasses, is sold for SR12.