A slightly frozen glass of bissap, slushy kind, is the perfect drink to have during the hottest months of the year, or after running after a ball for hours under the scorching sun. I always assumed that bissap was made from something called bissap flowers, although I had never seen that so-called “bissap flower” whole, just its dried leaves before they were infused to yield their delicious flavor. Then one day, I was enlightened by my mom, who pointed out dried hibiscus flowers to me in a grocery store (in Lawrence, Kansas of all places!) and said “you know those are bissap flowers right”. They were sold under the name “Jamaican hibiscus flowers”. And so I bought them and made my own bissap for the first time. After one sip of the tangy delicious drink, wonderful childhood memories flooded me, and I mentally cursed myself for not having bought more bags of the flowers as well as not having made the drink earlier!
Bissap (Hibiscus tea)
Print recipe
| Serves | 2-4 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 25 minutes |
| Meal type | Beverage |
Ingredients
- 3 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of hibiscus leaves
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- a few mint sprigs (optional)
- Pineapple juice (optional)
Directions
| 1. | Boil the water in a pan |
| 2. | Turn the heat off and add the hibiscus leaves |
| 3. | Let steep for 10-15min |
| 4. | You should see the water starting to turn fuschia as soon as you add the leaves |
| 5. | Pour the bissap in a big bowl through a strainer |
| 6. | Add the sugar, and stir. Make sure to add it while the water is still hot or it won’t dissolve. If you wait too long and the sugar does not dissolve, but the bissap back on the stove and heat up gently while stirring, until all the sugar dissolves |
| 7. | Let cool, and transfer it to a bottle through a sifter to get rid of the last leaves. |
| 8. | * You can add a few mint sprigs for flavor, or even a little bit of pineapple juice. I prefer mine just plain |
[…] it is commonly called in Côte d’Ivoire, I much preferred sweeter drinks like bissap (sorrel juice) or tomi (tamarind juice). The ginger juice stings when you drink it. I did not like that it made […]