Northern Africa - Thé à la Menthe

During the 16th century tea is carried from China to Egypt following the Silk Road, passing through Pakistan, Iran, the Arabic peninsula.

But it is only in the 19th century that tea finds it way to Northern Africa, after the British began importing their tea through the ports of Mogador and Tangier. Once there, it is quickly combined with the most popular drink of that time, a herbal infusion of mint or vermouth and is then rapidly spread by the nomad people throughout western Africa.

Ever since then, offering tea has become a way of living in the entire Arab world and particularly so among the Tuareg, which have developed a ritual of preparing tea of their own.

The Chinese green tea is boiled three times on charcoal and upon the third boil, a pinch of mint, lavender or vermouth is added. Then the tea is mixed with sugar by pouring it in a large arc and then poured into small glasses.

The first infusion is served bitter as life, the second is strong as love and the third is sweet as death.

Let yourself be carried away into the desert by this Thé à la Menthe from Länggass-Tee.