ROSELLE/JAMAICAN SORREL (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

 I first heard of Roselle in Samoa in the 1970's.  A few of the ex-pat ladies there were making a lovely Roselle jam that tasted rather like raspberry without the seeds.  My next run-in with Roselle was on a two-month backpacking trip around Egypt in 2010 where I was introduced to Karkaday tea which was a lovely, sweet, ruby red tea that was usually served cold to tourists and was very refreshing in the hot climate.  I also saw the dried, red leaves/petals for sale in enormous sacks at the markets there.  Whether I understood at the time that this was the same thing as Roselle I am not sure. It was only after I got home and did some internet research that I fully understood what Karkaday was and how good it was supposed to be for you.  A few years later I was watching a TV show about Mexican food and was surprised to learn that Roselle tea is very popular in Mexico as well.  They call it Jamaica. Now I was able to make my own Kakaday once I started buying the tea bags from Mexican stores when I visited the mainland.

Come forward to today, it seems that Hibiscus/Roselle tea is becoming more popular in the US.  I see bottles of it for sale at convenience stores and my baby boomer generation is drinking it to help lower blood pressure. Last year I actually got given two Roselle plants and so I have been researching about growing them and making my own Hibiscus tea. I have used freshly picked Roselle and I have also made tea with dried, deseeded calyces. One of the fun things about this blog is that I can pass on that gained information to you, and we are all learning.  I must say though, that this Roselle subject has taken me down big rabbit holes on the internet....way more than any other plant I have written about.  It is incredible how many YouTube videos there are on the subject from all parts of the world.  Farmers in Africa that are getting into the Roselle growing and processing business.  Cooks in Jamaica that are sharing their recipes for Sorrel/Roselle/Hibiscus tea...or add alcohol to make it a cocktail. They also make Sorrel cake which I wonder about.  Could it be the ancestor of red velvet cake? Then there are those Aussie grandmothers who are making gourmet Roselle jam and sharing their techniques.

Leaves, calyces and flower of Roselle

Already I know some readers are asking questions.....because I see them in the comment's column on You Tube videos.  e. g.  "Is this really Hibiscus tea?  I thought it was made from a flower."  "Is Hibiscus tea and Roselle/Sorrel tea the same thing?"   So first off, I think we need to talk about the Hibiscus family.  What is sold in the USA as " Hibiscus tea", even if there is a big Hibiscus flower on the box, is not made from your garden variety Hibiscus flowers.  Now, I have heard of the red garden type flower being put in lemonade to make the lemonade turn pink, but it is not what is used for tea.  I think the tea marketing companies should be blamed for the mix up.  If they just called it Roselle tea or Jamaican Sorrel tea, we would all understand.  To make things more complicated, there is another Hibiscus species whose flower can be used for tea.  In the US it is called the Cranberry Hibiscus or the False Roselle because the plant is similar to the Roselle, but the leaves and flower have more pink color.  You can see where people get mixed up. It is good to remember that the Hibiscus family is very large and several species are used for food.  Okra is a good example where we eat the green seed pods.  Another is my favorite, the Bele/Lau Pele/Tongan spinach (June 2015) where we eat the highly nutritious leaves.  The Roselle plant and flower looks similar to both those plants but with the Roselle the red swollen calyx that forms at the base of the flower is what is used for the real "Hibiscus Tea" you are buying at the store.

Roselle is originally from West Africa and has an ancient history.  It is popular in many tropical countries these days and in some countries is very much part of their cultural identity.  Roselle grows best in a hot and humid climate with at least 12-16 weeks per year over 80 degrees F. and with 6 hours or more of sun per day.  Just like Pigeon Peas, Roselle is daylight sensitive and only produces flowers and fruit when the autumn days arrive with shorter day lengths. In a very hot and humid climate it can be perennial, but it is usually grown as an annual.  Therefore, it is important, that before you get carried away in the joy of harvest, make sure you select some large healthy seed pods to leave on the bush to ripen until brown to obtain seed for next year's plants.

My first two young Roselle plants.

Roselle bushes can grow up to 6 ft tall and spread wide and low. (One grower likes to grow his in elevated containers to make for less bending when harvesting from low hanging branches.)  They like a rich and well-drained soil. Adding compost to the soil and mulching is good.  Too much fertilizer will lead to lots of leaves and less flowers.  Seeds are usually planted directly in the ground in the spring; 2-3 seeds at a time, 1/2" deep and 2-3 ft apart. Keep the strongest sprouted seedling of the three.  Some growers pinch the growing tips to fatten up the plant.  The older plant may need to be tied to one strong stake to hold it upright.  Once autumn arrives the first flush of pale-yellow flowers with pink tinge show up. The flowers open in the morning, close by midday, then will drop off the next day.  The remaining red calyx grows larger and fatter as the seed pod grows inside it.  The calyces are ready to pick 7-10 days after the flowers bloomed.  Look for fat calyces that are about one inch wide and still look glossy and tender.  Harvest the mature calyces with scissors so you do not damage the adjacent flower buds that will become the next flush.  Remember to leave some pods to get seeds for the next year's crop.  I grew my first two Roselle shrubs in containers and got two flushes of flowers.  You need a good size container to do this....at least a 5–7-gallon pot.  I collected seed and have grown some babies in seed pots.  Within a month the seedlings were big enough to be transplanted out and I look forward to the next crop of Roselle later this year.

The calyces forming on the plant.

 Once harvested, the inner seed pod must be removed before using the calyx for food.  The calyx "petals" can be easily pulled off with your fingers or you can cut around the base with a small sharp knife to lift the "petals" part off.  In large farm production they seem to use a narrow, hollow metal tube that they run up through the bottom of the calyx and pop the seed pod out.  At home you could use an apple corer to do the same.  Most Roselle grown on farms is then laid out to be sun dried and this is how you see it sold loose in African markets or in supermarket tea bags.  If you are not actually growing Roselle but want to try it out, I suggest the TAZO tea called Passion which is a truly beautiful drink.  You can also find packages of dried, loose Roselle for sale on the internet.

The calyx "petals" laid out to air dry for a few days.

There are apparently two colors of red Roselle....the Red one, which I have, or another one that is called Black because it is super dark red. I wonder if the Karkaday of Egypt is from the Black Roselle because the teas there seemed a much darker red. (There is a white variety too.)  You will go on a worldwide adventure if you search for Hibiscus Tea on You Tube. Just by itself, Roselle does not make a strong-tasting tea.  There is a faint fruity flavor rather like raspberry, but it really needs something added to make it more interesting.... although I have read that the Black Roselle is stronger in taste.  Just adding sugar helps but I am trying not to do that.  Some cooks add fresh orange juice or even blended dates to sweeten the tea.  After trying out different recipes I have settled on the Jamaican way of adding ginger root for extra flavor.  There are various other spices that can be added like cloves, cinnamon stick, orange peel, lemon or bay leaves etc.  I also think the West African idea of adding pineapple skins for flavor is a brilliant idea and a way of putting them to use.

The dried Roselle calyces ready to be stored in a jar.

The tea is made by bringing the water to full boil and then adding your Roselle, and also sugar if you want it, along with any spices.  You could let it boil for a few more minutes more, or not, and then let it sit for at least a half hour and it can be left overnight.  There are lots of customary ways to make it across the globe.  Half a cup to one cup of Roselle per litre/ 4 cups of water are suggested.  It is much the same whether you are using fresh or dried Roselle.  When it is ready, you drain the liquid off through a fine sieve.  You can drink the tea hot or cold.  I put mine in big jars in the fridge to get cold and it stays good for several days.  In the Carribean, alcohol is often added especially as the Roselle is harvested just in time for Christmas celebrations. On a recent radio cooking show, a lady from the US South was talking about a tradition of red drinks for Thanksgiving and Christmas by the African Americans of that area.  I am sure the tradition goes back to Hibiscus tea and the Roselle that was brought along the slave routes to the US and Carribean from West Africa.

Hibiscus tea made.

Roselle is not only good for hot and cold teas.  It is a very popular jam in Australia.  Other places make chutney with it.  Again, You Tube is your friend for recipes.  It can be used to make sauces, and in the days of early European settlers in the US South, it often was substituted for cranberry sauce for the Thanksgiving turkey.  The Roselle can also just be used as a fruity vegetable to add to your stir fry and the tender young leaves of the plant can also be used the same way.  I have seen Roselle leaves for sale in some markets in Southeast Asia.  And then there is the Red Sorrel cake.

A lot has been said about Roselle tea being good for your health.  Certainly, it has a long tradition in Egypt of promoting well-being.  We know that it is full of antioxidants and has good amounts of vitamins C and A.  There has been some evidence from modern testing that shows it to be helpful for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and inflammation of the liver. I get a little iffy about so-called super foods, but I figure all the good stuff we eat and drink help push the needle up on the scale of our health.

Aloha