Rooibos, (pronounced /ˈrɔɪbɒs/, like “roy-boss”), Afrikaans for “red bush”; scientific name Aspalathus linearis) is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane (herbal tea). Commonly called South African red tea or simply red tea or bush tea, the product has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries. It is sometimes spelled rooibosch in accordance with the Dutch etymology, but “roy-boss” remains the correct pronunciation.
Rooibos is becoming more popular in Western countries particularly among health-conscious consumers, due to its high level of antioxidants such as aspalathin and nothofagin, its lack of caffeine, and its low tannin levels compared to fully oxidized black tea or unoxidized green tea leaves. “Green” rooibos (see above) has a higher antioxidant capacity than fully oxidised rooibos.
Although rooibos was first reported in 1772 by botanist Carl Thunberg, the Khoisan people of the area had been using it for a long time[citation needed] and were aware of its medicinal value[2]p. 52. The Dutch settlers to the Cape adopted rooibos as an alternative to black tea, an expensive commodity for the settlers who relied on supply ships from Europe. Until the 19th century, however, Dutch usage of the tea was minimal.
In 1903, Benjamin Ginsberg, a Russian settler to the Cape and descendant of a famous tea family, saw potential in rooibos and began trading with the local Khoisan people who were harvesting it. He sold his “Mountain Tea” to settlers in the Cape and shortly became the first exporter of rooibos using contacts from the family tea business.
In the 1930s, Ginsberg convinced a local doctor and Rhodes scholar, Dr. Peter Nortier to experiment with cultivation of the plant. Dr. Nortier cultivated the first plants at Clanwilliam on the Klein Kliphuis farm, owned by W.T. Riordan, a retired magistrate. The tiny seeds were difficult to obtain, as they dispersed as soon as the pods cracked, and would not germinate without scarifying. Dr. Nortier paid farmers to collect seeds. An aged Khoi woman had found a rather unusual source of supply. She came again and again, receiving a shilling for each matchbox filled with seed. She had chanced upon ants dragging seed one day, followed them back to their nest and, on breaking it open, found a granary. The attempts by Dr. Nortier were ultimately successful, which led Ginsberg to encourage local farmers to cultivate the plant in the hope that it would become a profitable venture. Klein Kliphuis became a tea farm, and within ten years the price of seeds soared to an astounding £80 a pound, the most expensive vegetable seed in the world. Today the seed is gathered by special sifting processes, and Klein Kliphuis is now a guest farm.
Since then, rooibos has grown in popularity in South Africa, and has gained considerable momentum in the worldwide market too. A growing number of brand-name tea companies sell this tea, either by itself or as a component in an ever-growing variety of blends.
The popularity of rooibos has also gained from its association with Precious Ramotswe, the Tswana detective in Alexander McCall Smith’s series of novels about The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe’s favourite drink is red bush tea (rooibos), which she often promotes as a therapeutic drink to her friends and clients – and hence the readers of the books.
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