Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Elteen Elshooky, the popular summer fruit, is everywhere


Thu 05 Jul 2018 | 10:52 PM
Yassmine Elsayed

The Prickly Pear or ‘'Elteen Elshooky’ as it is called in Egypt is considered the most famous and common summer fruit that is affordable but also loved by all people, no matter what class they belong to.

it might be something normal to see a passer-by stops at some vendor to buy one or two of this fruit, but certainly, it's not when you see a person steps down from a Mercedes to buy bunch of 'Elteen Elshooky'.

Mohamed, as he introduced himself, is one of those selling Elteen Elshooky near a gate of AlAhli sporting club in Nasr City.

Speaking to "SEE', he explained that he is from Sohag Governorate (Upper Egypt), studying at the secondary level, and in his summer vacation. "I as well as many from my home village come here during Summer to sell Elteen Elshooky", he added.

the fruit doesn't not only attract certain class of people given its low price, but it is becoming very popular among Egyptians whenever and wherever they are, he clarified.

 

The wooden made cars on which the fruit is displayed can be visible everywhere, meaning that selling this fruit is not confined to certain cities or neighbourhoods, but rather, you can see those wooden cars everywhere.

 

Despite the fact that this fruit is available and attractive to people disregarding their class, but still this very factor determines its price. Traditionally this fruit is sold at a low price, but now their price really depends on who the buyer is!

In luxurious neighbourhoods, the single fruit is sold for 5 pounds each, where in places of middle class and lower, it is sold for 2 pounds each.

The International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition" reports that prickly pear cactus is a good source of several important minerals. Calcium, potassium,magnesium and phosphorus are among them. The prickly pear seed contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid with numerous health benefits.