Where has it gone?

[Semsema]

Where has all the dried fruit gone?

I have lovely big sultantanas and dates, but can't find raisins/currants for love nor money. I need them to make my mincemeat.

Any ideas ladies of Hurghada?

Even the fruit market doesn't have any. Metro/Abu Ashara's - none.

[Hurghada Lady]

SEmsema maybe they have some in Cairo, Nabil is there at moment, maybe you could ask him to bring you some back.

[Semsema]

Thanks for the suggestion Hurghada Lady. it just seems so odd that during Ramadan there were huge containers of the dried fruit and now there are none.

Surely they can't keep the left over until next year!

[BBLUX]

I guess its like the Christmas seasonal things in the UK. Dates and Brandy Snaps for example. Don't understand the dried fruit thing though, don't Egyptians ever use it in cooking? I must admit that the "Twinkies" cakes are usually just fancy decorated sponge cake.

[Goddess]

Yep - you can't move for them from a couple of weeks before Ramadan starts until a couple of days before Ramadan ends - and then they vanish into obscurity again!

We have a few places up here where we can get them year round - Only the bigger Metros supply them constantly. We have a cheaper supermarket chain too - that they can be found in - but the range gets limited to apricots, sultanas and something else - but they seem to just get worse and worse in quality as the year goes on.

One place where you should be guaranteed to find them - is a baking shop. In Alex, there are a couple of places that sell all kinds of flours, icing colourants, really good baking flours etc - and a whole range of dried fruits and candied peels. So you need to question some of the local women and find out where the best baking shop is (Not really called a 'baking shop' got no idea what it's real name is!)