Senegalese tea culture


Senegalese tea culture is an important part of daily social life. Senegal tea-drinking revolves around mint tea especially, similar to other countries in the West Africa region, such as Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania. In and around Senegal, tea is prepared and presented in an elaborate process known by the Wolof word, attaya or ataaya. People sometimes drink tea at breakfast but more particularly after meals, and it is the beverage that is offered to friends and visitors. Drinking tea promotes conversation and maintains friendship because it takes a long time to prepare properly.
Senegalese-style mint tea is served in three separate stages, called "the three concoctions":
One cookbook of African recipes recommends serving the tea immediately with a generous amount of sugar:
The first glass of tea is quite bitter, the second is sweeter and the third is very sweet but does not have much taste because the same leaves are used to prepare all three glasses.
The words used in various ethnic languages to refer to the tea, the teapot and the mint are borrowed from Arabic, proving that Senegalese mint tea is of Moorish origin.
More than 80% of the population from 15 to 60 years of age drink tea. Studies have shown that due to the high concentration of fluoride in green tea, the practice may aid in preventing dental diseases, specifically dental caries.