Afternoon Tea in Iraq (1950)
excerpted from Good Food From the Near East by Joan Rowland:The pleasant custom of afternoon tea is one Western habit popular in Iraq. Water for tea is usually boiled in a brass or copper samovar. The fuel used is charcoal. The drink is served in wasp-waist glasses, or istikhans. A thick layer of sugar is put in the bottom of the glass which is placed on a small saucer. Into this saucer the tea is sometimes intentionally spilled to show the hospitality and generous nature of the host or hostess. Well-to-do homes use straight glasses fitted into silver holders with little saucers about the size of coasters attached at the bottom. Also in Iraq a sugar lump is held in the mouth and unsweetened tea is drunk and sucked gently through the sugar. Herb teas of many varieties are enjoyed in the Near East. In Iraq, tea is made from camellias, and another type from dried lime flowers. Experts can turn out colorful glasses of striped tea - the lower level of sugar is clear, the middle is green from the leaves of the lemon, and the top brown from tea, all layers distinctly separate. More tea is drunk for “medicinal benefit” than in Western countries; blue tea, made from dried flowers of the large anchusa is used for fever in Iraq, tea made from violets is used as a cure for measles. The blossoms used are from a tiny species. A mixture of these violets and camomile is thought to be beneficial in lowering fever also.
