The Giza Plateau, home to the great pyramids and the mysterious Sphinx is one of the more awe-inspiring places on earth. Everything about the place is vast. From the desert surrounding the site to the pyramids themselves, everything is on a grand scale. Take the Pyramid of Cheops for example. This monument alone covers more area than St. Peter’s, the cathedrals of Florence, Milan, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s in London combined. Needless to say, you can’t do Giza in an hour. And did we mention it’s surrounded by desert?

Staying hydrated while visiting is even more of a concern than the local pickpockets. With temperatures soaring to around 40° and an average rainfall of about 4 mm/month, the Giza Plateau is as dry as the bones buried there. So, it goes without saying, that as awe-inspiring as Giza may be, it is as equally thirst inspiring. (Which might explain why Egyptians have had such a long love affair with beverages made from lemons!)

Luckily, as dry as the Giza plateau may be, its outer border tapers off into lush farmland lining the banks of the Nile. One of the more popular crops here is the lemon, which like most things Egyptian has a long-documented history. In fact, the first literary reference to lemon groves can be found way back in the work of Nasir-I-Khusraw, a Persian traveler and poet who wrote an account of life in Egypt from 1035-1094 AD. According to Nasir, trade in lemons was considerable in those days. The most popular product at the time was an early form of lemonade, qatarmizat, which was bottled and exported as far away as Greece. One particularly prized version of the beverage was made by soaking dried lemon rind in heavily sugared water. The drink was exceptionally thirst quenching, high in vitamins and a big hit.

These days, while qatarmizat may no longer be in production, the groves of lemons continue to bloom and blossom. After a search, we’re pleased to have sourced a grower who still works his grove according to the old principles. Subsequently, the organic peel we offer here is from lemons that were grown in essentially the same way they were thousands of years ago. Use them to make a thirst quenching lemonade by infusing the pieces in water or add them as a component in your custom tea blends. Either way, a superb lemony flavor awaits.