Sudanese entrepreneur Julie Samir's dream of opening a restaurant has finally come true, but it's a bittersweet achievement after she fled to Egypt from her war-torn homeland of Sudan. Now, Ms. Samir has one aim for her menu: winning over the palate of Egyptians with a taste of Sudan's complex culinary traditions, born from a rich history at the crossroads of the Middle East and Africa.
"I'm targeting the Egyptian consumer, I want them to get to know Sudanese culture," the 42-year-old told AFP from her sun-lit eatery in eastern Cairo, the scent of simmering aromatics wafting out of the kitchen. Across the sprawling megalopolis of Cairo — home to over 20 million people — many Sudanese refugees have opened businesses, bringing a taste of home and hoping to make a name for themselves. Ms.
Samir and her two children have been in the Egyptian capital for over a year, since making the 2,000-kilometre (around 1,200-mile) journey from their home in Khartoum. Along with half a million other Sudanese, they fled the war between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to neighbouring Egypt — and got to work rebuilding a life. Today, on the lawns of one of Cairo's upscale sporting clubs, Ms.
Samir's restaurant 'Kush Children's Village' serves up a fusion menu. "The name was my father's idea, inspired by the Bible," she said, explaining the reference to Kush, the ancient kingdom that straddled modern-day Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Tough competition "We serve al.
