A Cup of Tea in the Western Sahara
'Western Sahara: Three Cups of Tea ' [video]
by Renata Avila, Global Voices

Blogger Recuerdos del Sahara invited us to share not one but three cups of tea because, as people say there:
"The first time that I tried to prepare a cup of tea was terrible, well, the first time, and the second and the third... It is not that difficult but you must calculate precisely the quantity of tea and sugar and make the foam: You have to pour out the tea from a certain elevation, and then it easily spills out and makes a mess of your platter. You should prepare it on a grill ("jmar") made of charcoal ("fajar"). Many people enjoy it with some mint, cumin and other herbs that I cannot remember now. The platter with posts is called "tabla," the teapot is "berred" and the cups "kisan". The tea is pleasant when it is hot. During the month of Ramadan [the Muslim month of fasting], when you are fasting sometimes you have a headache, especially if you forgot to drink your tea the previous night and you are used to it. You are then said to "have a tea head"."


As with many cultures, people in Western Sahara have developed rites and a social scene around tea and we can imagine the desert, a cloudless sky at night, a full moon and a cup of tea (or two, or three)! Enjoy!

You may view the latest post at
https://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/08/05/three-cups-of-tea/

Our Lives in Occupied Western Sahara