Qishr (Yemeni Ginger Tea)

Picture courtesy of Just Food Now

I came across this unusual Yemeni drink recipe while doing research on something else. Qishr is the name given to a Yemeni tea/coffee that is made from ground up coffee husks. Apparently, it originated in al-makha , a port located on the Northwestern coast of Yemen where the original coffee trade route was located and as you may have guessed , it's where we get the name mocha.

Even though, at the time al-makha was a major coffee exporter, many of the locals could hardly
afford it. So, the coffee husks that were discarded were ground up, brewed with water and flavored with ginger.I've tried looking online for recipes on this Yemeni brew but unfortunately most recipes disappointingly use powdered coffee as the main ingredient but considering you can't get coffee husks in your neighborhood supermarket I found this ground coffee from the Haraaz Mountains to be a fairly decent substitute.



Photo courtesy of Yemen Peace Project


Yield:4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 c water

6 tsp. Haraaz Mountain Yemeni Coffee or regular powdered coffee

6 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. ground ginger


1. Pour water into a Yemeni long-handled coffee pot or small saucepan.

2. Add the coffee, sugar and ginger and stir well until combined over medium heat.Bring to a boil.

3. Remove from heat and pour into small cups and serve immediately.