Picking Produce at Makar Farms

Great meals come from great ingredients, grown and cared for with an attention to detail and love that gives food an extra feeling that comes from the heart. Out on the Sakkara Road a couple of kilometers after Shabramout and in the shadow of the step pyramid of Zoser lies Makar Farms, a 100 acre establishment that uses a combination of traditional Egyptian methods as well as modern hydroponic technology to create a wide range of natural international produce.

Cherry tomatoes are carefully grown in a green house

Mounir Makar on his farm in Sakkara

Back in the 1930s, the Minister of Agriculture published a comprehensive guide to farming in Egypt. In it, he listed exactly what could and could not grow in the country based on the soil conditions, intense sun, hot temperatures, and water quality. Agricultural adventurer and heir of the Makar family farm Georges Makar saw this as a challenge and decided to start bringing in seeds from abroad to grow European fruits and vegetables under the heat of the Egyptian sun. Almost 20 years later, the project has been taken over by Georges's son Mounir and has continued to be a success, with Makar the sole provider of many rare and new products to Egypt including lemongrass, leeks, multiple varieties of tomatoes, mustard, and more.

It's a never-ending experiment, with Mounir promising every year to try out a new species and has proven to be a challenge, requiring adjustments in the quality of water and the building of large air-conditioned greenhouses to make sure the vegetables and fruits feel right at home. To learn the secrets of their prized possessions the white and red endive, however, Mounir needed a little bit of adventure.

Endives are grown only in extremely moist environments, specifically Holland. After weeks of communication with one of the country's largest growers, Mounir made the long journey into the countryside to meet and view the complex growing and refrigeration systems. Upon arrival, the owners were friendly enough, but when it came time for the tour, they informed him that the power had mysteriously been cut off. Now, if this encounter had occurred in Egypt he might not have been so suspicious, but this was a little too much. He was able to get a tour of the facility in the dark, and by judging the temperature and the sound of the water drips, Mounir soaked up enough information to create his own design for the massive refrigerator units that are used to grow their delicious endives.

Next time you're looking for that something special to eat or to add a European kick to your home-cooked meals, try some of the fresh produce used in dishes at La Bodega as well as five-star hotels around the country.

Check it out:

www.makarfarms.com