Sage tea

November 11, 2010  •  Category:

 

Drinking herbal teas is very much part of the Lebanese culinary mores and traditionally  herbs were dried and kept in the pantry for such a purpose.


I found stacks and stacks of large bags filled with dried mint, sage, camomile, flower petals imported from Lebanon or Jordan or Syria, and sold at the Mid-Eastern store.

Sage, for instance, is native to the Mediterranean; it can be made into an infusion; it helps with gums and oral health and a host of other conditions.

To learn more about the benefits of sage, click here.

METHOD:

  1. Boil one liter (4 cups) of water. Place  20 g (3/4 of an ounce)  sage leaves in a pot and pour the boiling water over them. Steep for a few minutes, strain and drink.

Comments

30 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. sweetlife says:

    hey stopping by quickly to let you know I am trying your couscous salad with dates, oranges and chickpeas tonight..

    sweetlife

  2. Anita says:

    I’m not a huge fan of sage when used in cooking, but I just love sage tea with a little honey. It’s good for many ailments, it particularly helps with abdominal pains.

  3. peanutts says:

    first time seeing sage being used in tea.

  4. peter says:

    Joumana, another parallel…sage tea! It is consumed in Greece and we call sage faskomilo. Personally, I like it in cooking more than as a tea. You?

  5. TS of eatingclub says:

    I have the same post on sage tea a while back! =)
    That’s because our sage plant seems to be the only thing thriving in the garden.

  6. samir says:

    ..you are so right, tea is not just a staple drink ,its an expression of love ,culture and class throughout the Sham/Levant,, although styles may vary from region to region but mint and sage are the herbs most beloved and anise,, most steep the sage or mint leaves along with high quality loose black tea..much better.. pour and add suger to taste..some boil the sugar with the water and then steep…sipping a cup makes you feel like your on the shores of the Mediterranean watching the sunset

  7. turkey's for life says:

    Sage is used in tea in Turkey, too. Never in cooking. Our friends look at us strangely when we cook with it. It’s name in Turkish is Adaçayı (Island tea) so I guess they’re wondering why we’re cooking with tea!
    I like to drink it as a tea with lemon when not feeling very well. It’s comforting. 🙂

  8. PJ says:

    Interesting Brew!!

  9. pigpigscorner says:

    This is new! Sounds really interesting.

  10. Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:

    Not sure the sage would be cup of tea 😉 but interesting to learn about the benefits. Funny you post this the day my mulberry tea arrived which I ordered after your post about it.

  11. Priya says:

    Very interesting tea..

  12. Sophie says:

    I love sage: fresh or dried, but I never made tea with it!! Thanks!

  13. Faith says:

    When my hubby and I were in Damascus with his family, his mom would make mieramieh every night after dinner, sort of like a digestive. I got so used to the flavor, I still make it, and I even add a little dried sage to black tea…love it!

  14. Adelina says:

    Love your presentation too. Love the evil eye tea cup! I should try sage in my tea… Never had sage tea before… did not know the health benefits either. Thank you!

  15. SYLVIA says:

    Sage is a great little herb, smells great and it’s purifying along with its sisters in the mint family. oil of sage is effective against salmonella. Deepak Chopra recommends it for excessive accumulation of toxic, morbid emotions. Tea is warm, soothing, and healthy, excellent for sore throats. Your guests will love watching the sage leaves dancing in the glass. Thank you Joumana, It’s quite different from ordinary.

    • Joumana says:

      Sylvia: You have no idea how much I appreciate your input, all the more so because you are a dietician and so generous with your professional knowledge on this blog. THANK YOU!!!!!

  16. Angie's Recipes says:

    Never had sage tea before….my mother-in-law gave me some dried sage and since then it just belongs to the pantry closet.
    Thanks for sharing the recipe.
    ANgie

  17. Nadji says:

    J’aurai au moins appris le nom de la sauge en arabe.
    A bientôt.

  18. SYLVIA says:

    Thank you Joumana for your generous remarks I am humbled. It is my pleasure to thank you for inspiring me with all your elegant recipes, you are appreciated beyond words.

  19. Maria says:

    My grandmother was a big fan of sage tea which we call faskomilo in Greek. She absolutely adored it and I always remember her returning from her trips to our island of Kalymnos with bags stuffed with the fragrant leaves tucked throughout her suitcases.

  20. Sanura says:

    Curious. There’s tons of sage growing on my stoop. Your tea recipe calls for using dried leaves. Can fresh sage leaves be used to make tea?

  21. parma says:

    Essential oil extracts of Sage have been recently discovered to have cognitive (including memory) enhancing properties. More studies for its utilization in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative dementias are currently underway. Being in neurology, i was never a big fan of integrative medicine, until as a part of a departmental exercise i wrote a comprehensive book chapter on natural products in Alzheimer’s. Well all i can say now is that it s whole different world out there waiting to be explored……

  22. Lebanon Hotels says:

    Loved your blog and bookmarked it

  23. Retno says:

    I have a sage bush in my back garden I hardly use for my cooking. I want to make more use of the plant. And I was in search for more information about making sage tea when I was led to your lovely blog. Thank you for the posting. There’s a cup of sage tea now in front of me.. 🙂

  24. Craig says:

    We have lunch at a little Lebanese place in Manitou Springs, Co. and have cups of sage & black tea sweetened with sugar, and it’s magnificent!

  25. williams says:

    i am using Meramyeh tea leaves with Lime , it is nice…i daily using this..coz in my office we are using Meramyeh tea leaves only. My wait was 65, after dringking this 59kg now… Good Taste.

  26. FoodNurish says:

    Great article. Wrote a huge article on Sage and herbal properties. Found your blog along the way. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

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