“Le Bissap” (8/1/2010)

One of my most favorite things about West Africa is Bissap. I’ve written about this drink a few times in various blogs and letters, but I’m not sure if I ever took the time to really describe it. The Bissap in Guinea, like most things, was not as good as it is in Burkina. In Guinea, I liked it, but didn’t drink it often. In Burkina, my host mom prepares it for me daily! It’s a great summer drink (or if you’re in Burkina, a year round drink), and really good frozen too! This past weekend, I asked my host mom if she could show me how to prepare it. She was really excited and rushed off to the market to buy the ingredients. I found out that all the ingredients used to make Bissap are available in the US, so I figured I would share my host mom’s recipe (which is much better than most!). Here’s a little taste of Burkina:

Ingredients
1 ½ cups dried hibiscus leaves
A few sprigs of fresh mint leaves
1 liter water
¼ kg of sugar
½ tsp pineapple extract

Directions
Combine water, hibiscus and mint. Boil for 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Strain. Strain again. Add sugar and mix well. Add pineapple extract. Serve chilled or over ice.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
(PS… sorry about the metric measurements)