Hibiskus - sött, syrligt, fruktigt

From Burkina-Faso we bring you this organically grown hibiscus. Use it as it is, or add some leaves to your black tea.

Take 1½ teaspoons of leaves and add 2 dl of boiling water. Let it steep for at least 4 minutes. Hibiscus is so forgiving - even if you forget about the leaves, you can't get bitter. Was it too strong? Dilute with a little water. If you want, strain the leaves, otherwise you can leave them on the bottom of the cup or glass. The beautiful color makes it ideal for serving in glasses.

The typical sweet and sour taste is not only refreshing, but hibiscus has long been used in traditional medicine, particularly for its calming effect. A 2008 study by the US Department of Agriculture found that tea made from hibiscus flowers*) has an antihypertensive effect, although more research is needed.
However, pregnant women should be careful with hibiscus as there may be some risk of endocrine disruption.

Keep in mind that all agricultural products vary from year to year and also from harvest to harvest, both in terms of taste and appearance. Therefore, the taste may be more acidic one year, sweeter another.

Best iced tea!

Make it like this: Boil 1 liter of water with 4 tablespoons of hibiscus leaves. Let it boil for 10 minutes and then cool down. Before it is completely cold, stir in 2 tablespoons of honey. When cold, strain the leaves and squeeze in 1 lime.

Fill four large glasses with ice cubes and pour on the hibiscus tea. Scrape out ½ passion fruit per glass, and garnish with a slice of lime.

*) To be precise, it's not really the flower petals that are used, but the lining leaves. The hibiscus variety used is called hibiscus sabdariffa. The bracts (which together form what is called the calyx, because it looks like a cup) are fleshy and have long been used for their color and flavor.

There are around 250 different species of hibiscus and several are national flowers such as in South Korea (hibiscus syriacus) and Malaysia (hibiscus rosa-sinensis).