A Unique Pakistani liquid

Since October, Pakistan has been celebrating a holiday called “Eid”, which represents the end of Ramadan. Instead of talking about the JEN project in Pakistan, today I would like to introduce you to the unique liquid that is drunken during Ramadan. The bottle shown in the picture is called “Roohafzaa” (Soul Refresher), and it a juice of a mix of many concentrated fruits. The box next to it is called “Ispaghol” which is an extract of traditional herbs. People usually drink this with water when they have a stomachache.

The JEN staff made me the “Roohafzaa” juice on Iftar (the dinner after the sunset of the day during Ramadan). It is simply a mix of “Roohafzaa” with water, and has a lot of “Ispaghol” on the top, as a garnish or more likely a finish touch. I knew “Ispaghol” as a medicine for the stomach, so first, I thought it must be taken like medication; however, this was the usual way of drinking “Ispaghol”.

There are many people who have a stomachache after Ramadan starts. It is possible that this original drink may be drunk and developed over a long period from the experiences of their lives.