We have taken to referring to our African friends by pet names because their actual names are often difficult to remember and pronounce. Mrs Tea Lady very kindly delivers rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) tea to us twice each day at the ECRFC offices.
Rooibos (Afrikaan for "red bush") is the hottest trend in the tea industry world over, which is extremely interesting given its pedestrian history. This herbal tea, produced only in the Western Cape of South Africa, has become particularly popular among the health-conscious consumers due to its high levels of antioxidants, lack of caffeine and low tannin levels.
For centuries the local people climbed the mountains, cut the leaves from wild rooibos plants, then chopped and bruised them before leaving them to dry in the sun. For Dutch settlers to the Cape it became an alternative to the expensive black tea from Ceylon. We attempts to cultivate rooibos were finally successful in the 1930s it became the most expensive vegetable seed in the world at £80 a pound.
No comments:
Post a Comment