Chad

Chad

Today we travel to Chad for a spicy cup of herbal tea. At first I wasn't sure if I would find anything for Chad. I kept coming up with videos of guys named Chad doing stupid things. Then I started Googling Chad Africa, and found this gem of a recipe.

1 tablespoon (4 grams) hibiscus flowers, 2 cloves, one cinnamon stick, and some ginger. Bring 2 cups (500 ml) water to a boil, add the above ingredients, and simmer for 5 minutes. I'll admit I let this keep steeping while I drank my first cup of tea.

Let me tell you, this tea smells great (and tastes great, too). Cloves, ginger, and cinnamon mingle well with the hibiscus. It had just the right balance of cloves, cinnamon, and a hint of ginger. I'll admit to using this concoction to make poached pears as well. They were fantastic!

There were a few countries that I really didn't find much or any tea information about.

For the Central African Republic, all I found was black tea with canned milk and sugar. We've already been there and done that a couple of times.

As for my searches for tea in Angola, I can tell you all about Angola, Indiana. The country itself seems to be a fan of beer. As I recall, a lot was said about ginger beer. Some sources said it was non-alcoholic, but then later admitted that there was a little alcohol involved. Apparently there is a starter that is used for people to brew their own. Anyway, not interested.

Gabon was another country that held its secrets. I did find a reference to sambong, an herbal tea, but I got the impression it had more do with similarity of spelling than anything else.

Lastly, searches for tea in Sao Tome and Principe, a country consisting of 2 islands yielded caricoa de limao. This is a hot drink made from the zest of a lemon. You simmer the zest of one lemon in 1 cup (250 ml) of water for 20 minutes. Then strain and drink with sugar. I can hear the dentists of the world cringing now. Apparently this is a drink of Portuguese origin.

On to the southern region of the African continent!