Morning Coffee: Peshawar, Pakistan
Okay, so it’s more like morning tea than coffee. There are two different kinds: the first copper samovar contains the chai found all over South Asia — milky, black, strong, and spiced with cardamom and ginger. The other samovar contains Peshawari kawa, or green tea spiced with cardamom (and… is that nutmeg?). The small pots are mostly sold to other shopkeepers, but there are a few benches to the side to drink on-site. The chai-wallah (tea maker) is constantly busy. He bobs around on haunches and clutches onto the chain to maintain balance: a heaping scoop of sugar starts the mix, followed by the concentrated mixture in the samovar, topped off with some water. A spoon goes clink-clink, and off to the next one. Every so often, a young boy pops up with a tray of empty pots collected around the bazaar, rinses them with hot water, and throws them at the feet of the chai-wallah. Oh, and did I mention I could go for a pot right about now…
Tags: Cafés, Morning Coffee, Pakistan, Peshawar, Streetlife
Christopher DeWolf says:
Fascinating and delicious.
(Incidentally, Google Ads has already Starbucks-ized your post, offering links to “Chai Tea Recipes” and “How to Make Chai Tea.”)
October 6th, 2006 at 3:23 am
Margaret Griffin says:
Interesting details to study in these photographs-the pedestals of the samovars, the jumble of little teapots, the glimpse of the bazaar through the open shopfront.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:41 am