I would never have guessed that a drink made from flower petals could taste so delicious !Well I mentioned last week that I had found an interesting Tanzanian product which I wanted to feature on the blog soon – and here it is !
The product is Rosella which is actually dried hibiscus flowers (which grow in abundance, especially in our area). They are available in many shops here and I have often seen packets of them for sale, but was never interested in buying any because I did not know really know what to do with them !
Then, a few months ago when I was visiting a friend (who also happens to live on a farm, but in a different area to ours) she offered me a refreshing glass of ruby coloured liquid which tasted really delicious and when I asked her what it was she said that it was “made from flowers which grow in this area – hibiscus, I think”.
So, when I saw the dried Rosella “Hibiscus Flowers” last week, I bought a packet. It is apparently sun dried by local women on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the packet states that the dried flowers are used to make teas, jams, sauces and even wine. It says to ‘simply add water’ to make a delicious drink but I had to play around with a few combinations before I got it right.
The dried Rosella is a deep, burgundy colour which immediately turns water to a deep red when added to it. It has a lovely flavour (similar to raspberry ?) with a definite lemony tang to it, too …. I found that it needed to have sugar added to it, so this is what I eventually came up with to make a gorgeous Rosella syrup -:
Hibiscus Flower (Rosella) Syrup
1 ¼ cups dried Hibiscus flowers (Rosella)
1 ½ cups brown Sugar
5 cups Water
Place all ingredients in to a large pot and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool and strain through a sieve. Discard the petals.
Keep in the fridge and add a little to a glass of chilled water to make a refreshing – and ‘different’ – drink ! We have also added sparkling mineral water which make a great “fizzy” drink for kids.
I would imagine that the undiluted syrup would also be great for puddings or even as an ice cream topping.
Some quick facts about Rosella – extract of hibiscus flower is said to possibly lower cholesterol, in Mexico and Jamaica you can get hibiscus flavoured soda and in China it is used to help cure liver or blood pressure problems.
Who knew ?!
The product is Rosella which is actually dried hibiscus flowers (which grow in abundance, especially in our area). They are available in many shops here and I have often seen packets of them for sale, but was never interested in buying any because I did not know really know what to do with them !
Then, a few months ago when I was visiting a friend (who also happens to live on a farm, but in a different area to ours) she offered me a refreshing glass of ruby coloured liquid which tasted really delicious and when I asked her what it was she said that it was “made from flowers which grow in this area – hibiscus, I think”.
So, when I saw the dried Rosella “Hibiscus Flowers” last week, I bought a packet. It is apparently sun dried by local women on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the packet states that the dried flowers are used to make teas, jams, sauces and even wine. It says to ‘simply add water’ to make a delicious drink but I had to play around with a few combinations before I got it right.
The dried Rosella is a deep, burgundy colour which immediately turns water to a deep red when added to it. It has a lovely flavour (similar to raspberry ?) with a definite lemony tang to it, too …. I found that it needed to have sugar added to it, so this is what I eventually came up with to make a gorgeous Rosella syrup -:
Hibiscus Flower (Rosella) Syrup
1 ¼ cups dried Hibiscus flowers (Rosella)
1 ½ cups brown Sugar
5 cups Water
Place all ingredients in to a large pot and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool and strain through a sieve. Discard the petals.
Keep in the fridge and add a little to a glass of chilled water to make a refreshing – and ‘different’ – drink ! We have also added sparkling mineral water which make a great “fizzy” drink for kids.
I would imagine that the undiluted syrup would also be great for puddings or even as an ice cream topping.
Some quick facts about Rosella – extract of hibiscus flower is said to possibly lower cholesterol, in Mexico and Jamaica you can get hibiscus flavoured soda and in China it is used to help cure liver or blood pressure problems.
Who knew ?!
