Ataya
Ataya , also Attaya or Ataaya , is the name for a method of preparation of green tea as well as for the green tea itself in several countries of the West African coastal region .
Green tea came via the tea route from China to the Maghreb states and via Mauritania through the Trans-Saharan trade to West Africa . With the tea, the Berber- Arabic tea culture of north-west Africa also spread to the black African countries Senegal , Gambia , Sierra Leone and Liberia .
Names
In Atay , as in German ("tea") and in other languages, the corresponding Chinese sound chá or te is included. The ending -a is likely to facilitate regional pronunciation.
preparation
When pouring the tea from a small is enamel - jug that before on a teapot was heated (about 30 cm) in small from an elevated position glass cups poured. Then, in a quick procedure, it is poured back into a second cup and this process is repeated until the tea is frothy. The more often you repeat this procedure, the better the tea is considered. It cools down a little. It is then drunk with a lot of sugar and, if available, garnished with mint or peppermint leaves.
The tea is drunk all day, preferably after eating. Green tea is also used as a gift for guests.
Regional variants
In the Gambia, besides ataya, a specialty is also prepared from kinkeliba leaves.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jojo Cobbinah: Senegal, Gambia: practical travel guide to the west coast of Africa. Meyer, Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-89859-103-4
- ^ Rosel Jahn: Gambia: travel guide with regional studies; with a travel atlas. Mai, Dreieich 1997, ISBN 3-87936-239-4