Hibiscus tea, when served hot, or roselle juice, when served cold, is an infusion made from the crimson or deep magenta-colored calyces () of the roselle flower ( Hibiscus sabdariffa). It is consumed both hot and cold and has a tart, strong cranberry-like flavor.
The drink made out of the flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa has many regional variations and names: it is known as bissap in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Senegal; wonjo in The Gambia; zobo in Nigeria; sobolo in Ghana; foléré, dabileni, tsobo, siiloo or soborodo in different parts of Africa;
Description
In juice form, it is often taken refrigerated; Hibiscus or roselle juice is a dark, purple-red drink usually found cold in many West African countries and the Caribbean.
The
Burkina Faso,
Senegalese, and Ivorians call it
bissap.
It tastes a bit grapey and a little like cranberry juice and can be served with mint leaves.
It can also be served with any flavouring of one's choice — sometimes with orange essence or ginger, pineapple juice, cloves, tea grass, vanilla, and many others. In
Ghana,
Nigeria, and
Senegal, roselle juice is served cold, while in
Egypt, it is served warm.
Consumption
Africa
The roselle hibiscus used to make the tea likely originated in Africa.
In Africa, hibiscus tea is commonly sold in markets and the dried flowers can be found throughout West and East Africa. Variations on the drink are popular in
West Africa and parts of
Central Africa. In
Senegal,
Roselle juice is known as the "national drink of Senegal". Hibiscus tea is often flavored with mint or ginger in West Africa. In Ghana it is known as "sobolo", and "zobo" in Nigeria.
Karkadeh ( ) is served hot or chilled with ice. It is consumed in some parts of North Africa, especially in Egypt and Sudan.
In Sudan, people use hibiscus tea, or karkadé, in folk medicine to treat many health conditions. Pharmaceutical researchers who have studied specimens from Sudan have suggested that its efficacy may relate to its Anthocyanin, chemicals that can boost immune responses and combat inflammation, diabetes, cancer, and viral infections.
Americas
Agua de flor de Jamaica, also called
agua de Jamaica and
rosa de Jamaica, is popular in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America and the Caribbean. It is one of several common
aguas frescas, which are inexpensive beverages typically made from fresh juices or extracts. Jamaica and other
aguas frescas are commonly found in taquerias or other Mexican restaurants. It is usually prepared by steeping the calyces in boiling water, straining the mixture, pressing the calyces (to squeeze all the juice out), adding sugar, and stirring. It is served chilled, and in Jamaica, this drink is a tradition at Christmas, served with
fruitcake or
sweet potato pudding.
In Panama, both the flowers and the drink are called saril (a derivative of the English word sorrel). It is prepared by picking and boiling the calyces with chopped ginger, sugar, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is traditionally drunk around Christmas and Chinese New Year. This diverges from Mexico and Central America and is much more in line with the Caribbean, due to the strong West Indian influence in Panamanian culture; especially in Panama City and most of Panama's Caribbean coast.
In the English-speaking Caribbean, the drink, called sorrel, is made from the calyces, and it is considered an integral part of Christmas celebrations. The Caribbean Development Company, a Trinidad and Tobago brewery, produces a Sorrel Shandy in which the tea is combined with beer.
In American soul food cuisine, hibiscus tea is included in a category of "red drinks" associated with West Africa.
Southeast Asia
In
Thailand, most commonly, roselle is prepared as a cold beverage, heavily sweetened and poured over ice, similar to sweetened fruit juices. Plastic bags filled with ice and sweetened 'grajeab' can be found outside most schools and in local markets. It is less commonly made into a
wine. It is sometimes combined with
Chinese tea leaves, in the ratio of 4:1 by weight ( Chinese tea). The beverage is consumed in
Malaysia,
Cambodia and
Indonesia as well.
Europe
In
Italy, hibiscus tea, known as
carcadè or
karkadè (from the Arabic word كَرْكَديه ), is usually consumed hot, often with the addition of sugar and
lemon juice or orange slices. First introduced from
Italian Eritrea, it was widely used as a
tea substitute when the country was hit by trade sanctions for its invasion of Abyssinia. In other European countries, it is often used as an ingredient in mixed herbal tea (especially with
malva flowers or
rose hips in the mix, to enhance colouring), and as such, it is more commonly used than recognized.
Research
Reviews have suggested that hibiscus tea consumption appears to modestly lower blood pressure in people with
hypertension.
Hibiscus tea was generally well tolerated, and did not
adverse effect liver or kidney function at lower doses, but may be
hepatotoxic at high doses.
Health benefits
Roselle juice, which acts as a diuretic, has been shown to regulate blood pressure and reduce
hypertension.
It also has high levels of
vitamin C, so is used to treat the
common cold and otherwise boost the
immune system.
Some studies have also shown antimicrobial activity.
Zobo
Zobo is a local
Drink drink in Nigeria. It is made from dried
hibiscus leaf and other ingredients.
The drink is commonly sold in restaurants and on roadsides.
Overview
Hibiscus drink is made by boiling the hibiscus leaf alongside
ginger,
garlic for less than an hour.
It is served hot or chilled depending on the weathered condition of the area it was produced. Other ingredients used in making zobo drink include
nutmeg, cinnamon,
, lime, pineapple and artificial colours. The particles are sieved leaving behind the zobo juice. The roselle drink has flavour similar to
cranberry juice and it is ruby red in colour.
The zobo drinks are packaged in clean bottles which can be sealed to prevent spoilage.
Hibiscus sabdariffa
This is the major ingredient used in making zobo drink. It is a leafy vegetable similar to spinach that originates from
West Africa.
, also known as roselle, is an annual herb that can be planted all year round especially between November and the April of the next year.
Hibiscus sabdariffa is otherwise known as spinach dock, sour grass, or sour grabs.
Other names
Zobo drink is also known as hibiscus tea, hibiscus drink and roselle drinks because the beverage drink is gotten from hibiscus leaves. Also it is known as local Chapman since other fruits and artificial colours are added. Due to the sour taste of zobo drink, it is referred to as sour tea as well.
Preservatives
There are two types of preservatives used in production of zobo tea, the natural ones are the nutmeg, lime and cloves which keeps the drink fresh.
Sodium benzoate at a concentration of 0.1% or mixture of citric acid and magnesium sulfate are the chemical compounds used in preserving zobo drink for a longer time and make it carbon-free. The artificial are neutralized with Juice in order to conserve the sour taste of the leaf during production.
Further reading
