🇸🇳 Senegalese Cuisine

Attaya

Senegalese Mint Tea

Prep Time 1 hour (3 rounds)
Servings 4
Difficulty Medium

A ceremonial three-round green tea ritual, each round progressively sweeter and mintier, brewed with theatrical pouring from height to create a thick foam.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 First round (bitter — le): boil tea with a little sugar in a small pot for 5-10 minutes. Pour from height into glasses and back into pot repeatedly to create foam.
  2. 2 Serve the first round — it is the strongest and most bitter, representing the bitterness of life.
  3. 3 Second round (sweeter — leegi): add more water, sugar, and fresh mint to the same leaves. Boil and pour with height again.
  4. 4 Serve the second round — sweeter, representing the sweetness of love.
  5. 5 Third round (sweetest — leegi nag): add more water, sugar, and fresh mint. Boil and pour.
  6. 6 Serve the third round — the sweetest, representing the sweetness of death or friendship. Each glass should have a thick foam cap.

Did You Know?

Refusing attaya is considered deeply impolite in Senegal — the three rounds represent the progression of friendship, and leaving before the third round means the bond is incomplete.