🇬🇲 Gambian Cuisine

Attaya

Gambian Green Tea Ceremony

Prep Time 1 hour 30 min
Servings 6
Difficulty Medium

A three-round Gambian tea ritual using Chinese green tea brewed strong, sweetened heavily, and poured with theatrical frothing between small glasses.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Place green tea leaves in a small metal teapot. Add a cup of water and boil on charcoal for five minutes.
  2. 2 Pour off and discard the first brew to wash the tea. Add fresh water and return to heat.
  3. 3 Boil the second water with tea for ten minutes until very strong and dark.
  4. 4 Add generous sugar to the teapot. Pour tea between two glasses repeatedly from height to create froth.
  5. 5 Serve the first round, which is the strongest and most bitter. Return the leaves to the pot with fresh water.
  6. 6 Repeat the brewing for the second and third rounds, each progressively sweeter and milder.

Did You Know?

The three rounds of attaya carry a Gambian proverb: the first round is bitter like life, the second is sweet like love, and the third is gentle like death.