Shai & the sitt al-shai
Strong sweet tea — black with mint, or boiled with milk and cinnamon — poured by the sitt al-shai, the tea lady whose low stools are Sudan's true public parliament.
History and culture
Tens of thousands of women run Sudan's street tea trade; around their charcoal braziers news is exchanged, deals are struck, and strangers stop being strangers.
Ingredients
- Black tea, generous sugar
- Fresh mint or milk & cinnamon
- Charcoal-simmered water
How it is made
- Boil the tea hard with sugar.
- Add mint, or milk and cinnamon for shai bil-laban.
- Pour high into small glasses; sit; talk.