Kathmandu:

The gurgling sound, the aromatic smoke, the glowing embers and a group of people hurdled around a glass hookah has become a common scene around town. Hookah or the flavoured version commonly known as shisha has become trendy and is offered at many restaurants around town especially in Thamel.

Though we may associate hookahs with old men or women sitting around in a courtyard in some village enjoying a smoke and some gossip, it’s the young crowd that is trying this in the Capital’s restaurants.

Deexhit Amatya, one such hookah smoker shares, “I had gone for a family holiday to Jaipur (India), there I saw hookah for the first time and was curious to try it. I felt like a Nawab while smoking it. I smoke hookah sometimes when I am with friends and like the cappuccino flavour.”

Hookah origins and names

Hookah originated in the Middle East in the 16th century. Depending on the locality, hookah is referred to by many other names. Arghile or Narghile is the name most commonly used in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Albania, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria and Romania. Narghile is from the Persian word nârgil or coconut. Primitive hookahs were made of coconut shells. Shisha is from the Persian word shishe (literally translated as glass). In Iran it is called ghalyun, and in India and Pakistan it is referred to as huqqa. In South Africa, it is known as a hubbly bubbly.

Hookah in Nepal

Hookah made its way to Nepal long ago and some elderly people are seen smoking it on a regular basis, the hookah they smoke is different from what is served as shisha in restaurants. The traditional hookahs are generally made of clay, wood and metal but not glass as in shisha. They used raw tobacco instead of the now available flavoured tobacco.

“On a friend’s suggestion, we brought one from Egypt. In the beginning we used flavoured tobacco, then shifted to the traditional tambakhu, but people did not like it. So we started using shisha again,” says Dumbar Pun, owner of Buddha Bar, Thamel.

Similarly Les-Yeux restaurant too started offering shisha from 2005 when a pilot advised them to start the trend he had seen abroad. Another restaurant Shisha Terrace Bar and Restaurant introduced hookah over a year ago after its manager Jayan Shrestha returned from Dubai, while F&B Bar and Café and 365 Restaurant and Hookah Bar, Pulchowk went according to the market demand.

“Today’s generation likes to try anything they see on TV, read in magazines or the net. This is how the hookah trend caught up here,” says Gopal Shah of Les-Yeux.

Favourite flavours

According to all restaurants, the favourite flavour so far is apple-and-strawberry. However, they say people are going for cappuccino too. You can even ask for cocktail flavours like strawberry and mint, or banana and bubblegum.

“Hookah is mainly for entertainment and enjoyment with friends. Though it

has tobacco, the nicotine and tar is lesser than in a cigarette and is smoother,” says Amar Shrestha, owner of Shisha.

Hookah tobacco often has a damp and sticky appearance derived from the honey, molasses or semi-dried fruit. Fruit-flavoured shisha got its start in the late 1980s when Egyptian tobacco companies experimented with lighter, flavoured tobacco as a way to sell more of its products to women.

Most of the shisha available in the market are brought from Egypt and the tobacco is imported from Dubai. One shisha lasts for a maximum of 45 minutes and can be shared in a group.

Though most of the restaurants use imported coal, some still use locally available coals. “Nepalis usually prefer local coal as the coal burns slowly, but we give foreigners imported coal according to their demand,” says Bimal Poudyel of 365.

It has become a way in which people usually find relaxation. “There are regular customers who come here just to enjoy the smoke and I think it has become a kind of style statement among the youngsters,” says Puran Singh Pun of F & B.

Hookah price ranges from Rs 199 to 250

Tips and tricks

• To make smoking hookah a little more enjoyable, add a little sweet red wine into the water. Not only will this give it some flavour but will also give you a nice warm feeling every time you take a puff. Experiment with juice, vodka and milk (to make the smoke thicker).

• Placing ice cubes in the water can make for a mellower, smoother smoke. Squeeze a lemon or lime in the summer.

Hookah etiquette

• Never light your cigarette from the hookah coals; it’s considered very bad manners.

• While sharing a hookah and you’re done smoking for the moment, don’t pass it directly. Use your right hand with the tip facing towards you, not the recipient.

• On multiple hose hookahs, those not smoking for the moment should plug their mouthpieces with a finger so that the person smoking doesn’t suck air.

• Do not use the coal tray for your cigarette ashes.

• In order to indicate that you have finished using the hookah, wrap the hose around the shaft.

Smokey facts

• Inhaling smoke, whether second-hand or first, is dangerous. It doesn’t matter where the smoke comes from or the substance being smoked.

• The water in the hookah does not clean the smoke.

• Hookah smoke contains toxic compounds including carbon monoxide.

• Coals create a health risk as well. Breathing in the combination of the coal comounds adds to and possibly increases health risk of hookah smokers.

• Hookah can become addictive, and does produce nicotine as well as a number of other toxins.