Ramadan Drink · Fermented Sorghum
Abreh (Hulu-Mur Sorghum Drink)
Photo: إيناس سليمان أحمد علي (Inas Sulaiman Ahmad Ali) / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
Its Sudanese nickname, 'hulu-mur' — literally 'sweet-bitter' — describes the drink's flavor in a single word: a tangy, slightly fermented sourness balanced against added sugar.
Abreh is a thick, fermented drink made from sorghum flour that is roasted, soaked, and left to develop a mild tang before being thinned with water and sweetened. Vendors and home cooks alike sell it chilled from large jugs, especially after sunset during Ramadan.
Why it's made this way: Sorghum has been Sudan's staple grain for millennia, and abreh turns that same grain into a refreshing, gut-friendly drink that rehydrates fasting bodies fast — making it a fixture of Khartoum's Ramadan street stalls alongside dates and karkadé.
More from Sudan
Sudanese Coffee (Gahwa)
Ful Medames
Tamiya
Gurasa (Sudanese Flatbread)
Karkadé (Hibiscus Tea)
Zalabiya (Sudanese Fried Dough)
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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