Egyptian Chamomile Tea

Egyptian chamomile is the dried flower head of Matricaria chamomilla, grown in Fayoum, Beni Suef and other Egyptian governorates and sold whole. The cup is golden, honeyed and apple-scented. Steeped in a covered teapot at 100°C for five to eight minutes.

Origin & Story

The word chamomile is a small piece of poetry. It comes from the Greek chamaimelon, earth apple, because the flowers smell of apples, and the cup keeps that note: sweet, a little like honey and straw, and soft rather than sharp.

Most of the chamomile in the world's tea bags and tins is German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, an upright annual grown for its flower heads, and Egypt is one of its great sources. The flowers are grown on farms in Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya and Assiut, where hot days, cool nights and a dry harvest window let the flower mature in the field and dry quickly, which is what keeps the pale-gold color and the aroma that buyers look for.

Chamomile's history in Egypt is old and partly legend. The Ebers papyrus of about 1550 BC is often said to mention it, and tradition says the ancient Egyptians dedicated the flower to the sun god Ra.

German chamomile is the one you want in a cup. Roman chamomile, a creeping perennial, is stronger and more bitter and is used mostly for oils. If a chamomile tea tastes bitter, it may be poor quality or made with the wrong species.

Brew whole flower heads in a covered pot so that the aroma stays in the cup. The flowers open and settle, and the infusion turns a clear gold.

Steep 3.8 g of whole chamomile flowers in 240 ml of water at 100°C for five to eight minutes, covered.

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