Different words for tea

Different words for tea:

Te ye atay ye wa? - Are “te” and “atay” the same in Manding-speaking Africa? I know some people designate atay as something different, but I wasn’t sure.

What about rooibos?

Ne bolo, “te” ni “atayi” ye kelen ye tuma caman :upside_down_face:

In my experience, the most common spoken term that I recall in Mali, CIV and Burkina for the common green tea that is served and drank in three glass cycles in a circle is te (< Fr. thé). Sometimes people say dute (< Fr. du thé “some tea”).

I sometimes hear people say atayi for this same common green tea, but in my experience, they are generally people who have spent time further west in places like Senegal or Mauritania.

Some sources suggest that atayi is distinct for the “Mauritanian version” of the tea, but as far as I can tell and have experienced, it’s the same thing (except maybe they systematically put mint in it). The preparation, the glasses, the ritual, it all looks the same to me :person_shrugging:

But maybe I’m just missing something or don’t care that much about tea! :wink:

As for “rooibos”, I have no idea! Never come across it in my West African tea-drinking experiences, but it might have been under my nose and I didn’t notice.

PS - I have filmed a Na baro kè walk-and-talk episode about te/dute/atayi preparation, but it’s not edit yet. Coming soon, n’Ala sɔnna!

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I ni ce!

Also I messed up. Rooibos is more a South African thing.

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