The heat of the Sinai bears down from the cloudless sky all around me while the Red Sea glitters. I drop my bag on the ground and sink into the low cushions underneath a palm frond canopy. “Would you like some tea?” a man in a white jelabaya offers me. Normally, the heat would put me off from a hot drink, however I take him up on his offer. It’s the first of many cups I will drink over the coming days.
The man disappears for a short while, and the reappears with a pot and two small glass cups. He pours the caramel colored liquid in each, holding the lid of pot as he does. Steam swirls from the rim and small bits of leaves dance near the bottom. I carefully lift the glass to my lips, so as not to spill any or burn my fingers, and blow gently. Both the day and the tea are still hot.
The Bedouin are nomadic people, with territory stretching across North Africa and into the Middle East. The etymology of the word reveals that it refers to people who live in the desert and were likely there before Arabs settled in the area. The Bedouin are made up of tribes and clans, and about 10 different tribes call the Sinai peninsula home.
The tea itself is full of flavor. A blend of black tea and desert sage, sometimes other spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and a healthy dose of sugar, the complexities come together to create a flavor that feels like hospitality. And hospitality is a key part of Bedouin culture.
I tilted the glass of tea and sipped the tea, taking in the views of the Red Sea stretching to Saudi Arabia. For the next couple weeks, pots of tea were sprinkled throughout my days. Freshly brewed glasses waited for me after each SCUBA dive and lazy evenings at the seashore saw plenty of refills.
I haven’t had another tea quite like the Bedouin tea I had in the Sinai, but I am looking forward to when I get a chance to enjoy it again.