Bissap - A Pan-African Beverage

At one time I almost turned this blog into a food blog. But, it has been a while since I have written anything here about cuisine. So here is an entry on one of Africa's best kept soft drink secrets. The purple concoction usually referred to here as bissap. Recently I have taken a liking to bissap also known as sorrel, zobo, sobolo, and other names . It is a beverage made from hibiscus flowers and various spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. It is drunk throughout west Africa and has a number of different recipes. Here is one that is pretty simple. The beverage has a nice sweet, tangy, spicy flavor and is loaded with all kinds of vitamins and other things good for your health. It is very refreshing on a hot and humid day. Which is a pretty important feature in any beverage meant to be consumed in equatorial Africa.