Ethiopian Beer !

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28054464

Fascinating report from one of Islam's most holy cities, which brews beer.
I don't know much about Islam but isn't drinking any kind of alcohol forbidden ?

Place looks lovely though...very colourful !

[237SJ]

Sqad - Saudi isn`t the only Muslim country where alcohol is forbidden. Kuwait is dry and I think there might be one or two other places that are as well.

[naomi24]

The point is alcohol is forbidden to Muslims - not necessarily to outsiders - so it has everything to do with Islam.

[sp1814]

mikey4444

That's a really interesting question you've posted, because you've made me think about a holiday in Morocco I had.

It's a largely Muslim state (would need to look up the actual demographics), but at no point did we ever have any problem getting booze either in the riad we were staying in, or any of the restaurants we visited...

...but now that I think about it - at no point during the holiday did I see any shop actually selling alcohol.

It just...appeared...a bit like the shop owner in Mr Ben.

[piggynose]

sp1814, morocco is contradictory, you cant find any bars in tangiers in the north, booze is only found in hotels, and is pricey, but if you go to Marrakesh, things are very different, where i was staying there were several bars in my street full of local morrocans drinking beer if as if it was going out fashion, plus lots of smoking. Plus it wasn´t overpriced.

[sp1814]

piggynose

Actually, that's exactly where we were...in Marrakech, but I have to say, I didn't notice any bars (although that may have been because we went everywhere by cab, after getting spectacularly lost in the souk on day one).

[hc4361]

I never have a problem getting alcohol in the local curry houses which are mainly owned and staffed by Muslim people.

Murree beer is brewed in Pakistan and cannot be exported for some reason. Hunter beer is brewed in Bangladesh.

[jno]

Ethiopia was the second Christian country, as I recall - before Rome. So the nation as a whole isn't prohibitionist.

[mikey4444]

Thanks everybody...You learn such a lot here on AB you know !

I went to Tunisia a few years ago. Wonderful for all its Roman era ruins by the way...I would recommend it to anyone. There was a city in the mountains in the north that was so perfectly preserved, that it looked as if the whole population had gone to on a coach holiday somewhere and left it for us to walk around in. Thuburbo Majus it was called, I think.

But the beer tasted "funny" ...a bit salty, and I found out that they use desalinated water, as water is a tad on the rare side. Avoid the liqueur made from dates though...very sweet and very strong !

[keyplus90]

There is a brewery in Murree in Pakistan that was established during British rule and still is going on. Its now being run mainly by Christians and alcohol accoding to the law in Pakistan can only be sold to Christians or other non-Muslims. Muslims are just supposed not to drink it. However few people believe that one (Muslim) should not trade in it either.

[DTCwordfan]

There are plenty of Muslim countries making alcohol, in addition to those named, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Iran to name but a few,

[piggynose]

sp1814, lost in the souk, is that another word for medina? easy to get lost there. we luckily didnt, in fact we cudnt, cuz there was always a self appointed guide to help us out.taxis, weren´t necessary, we´d get a No 1 bus to that square with the horses and carriages, and take it from there, and get the same bus back.