Traditional Cocoa Tea Recipe
Cocoa tea ceremony at Kunstinstituut Melly, 2021.
Recipe
This recipe is a co-creative endeavor between Annalee Davis and myself which was made for the permacultural residency at Stiftung Künstlerdorf in Schöppingen, Germany. It draws inspiration from traditional wake food and meals prepared for family members as they mourn, grieve and celebrate the recent dead.
4 sticks of raw cacao artisanally harvested in the windward forests on the mainland of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon
Hard spice
4-6 Allspice/pimenta
4-6 cloves
2 star anise
½” ginger
4-6 bay leaves
3 pods of cardamom
Orange peel
A touch of cayenne pepper
6-8 cups of water
2 tins of organic coconut milk (if you are in the Caribbean Grace is superior, making your own is a good option too).
4 tablespoons of Demerara sugar
Cocoa tea offering at medicinal garden in Bequia.
Method:
In a large pot, fill with water and bring it to a soft rolling boil. Add cacao sticks, cinnamon sticks, hard spice, allspice, cloves, star anise, grated ginger, bay leaves, cardamom, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add coconut milk and simmer for ten minutes.
Strain the hot cocoa tea into cups and enjoy with your friends and family over conversation and the calling up of memories.
Medicinal cocoa tea is rich, soothing and offers a range of support to the organs of the body due to the variety of spices.