Recipe
🥤 DRINK
Bush Tea
A fragrant Dominican herbal infusion of fresh lemongrass and garden herbs, steeped in hot water and lightly sweetened, drunk daily and for health.
Dominican · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 10 min
~26 cal · 0g protein · 7g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 6g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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On the rainforested island of Dominica, "tea" means almost any hot drink, and bush tea, brewed from fresh local herbs, is a deep part of daily life. The island's Kalinago and African heritage and its extraordinary botanical richness gave rise to a whole tradition of teas taken both for pleasure and, traditionally, for their reputed medicinal properties.
A bush tea is made simply by steeping fresh herbs in hot water: (called fever grass) is the most common, often joined by mint, soursop leaf, or other garden plants, then sweetened lightly with sugar or honey and sometimes sharpened with lime. Different herbs are chosen for different purposes, and Dominicans distinguish "hot" teas from "cooling" ones.
Aromatic, soothing, and grounded in generations of local plant knowledge, a mug of bush tea is Dominica's everyday comfort. This version is the friendliest introduction, fragrant and gently sweet.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
4 stalks fresh (fever grass), bruised
a small handful fresh mint or soursop leaves
4 cups water
2 tbsp sugar or honey, to taste
1/2 lime, juiced (optional)
Instructions
1
Bruise the lemongrass stalks by bending and crushing them to release their oils, then cut into shorter lengths.
✎ Chef’s note
Bruising and, ideally, tying the lemongrass in a knot releases far more of its fragrant oils into the water.
2
Bring the water to a boil and add the lemongrass and the mint or soursop leaves.
3
Simmer gently for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and steep for five to ten minutes.
4
Strain into mugs, sweeten to taste, and add a little lime if you like.
Roseau bush-tea tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Roseau. Callaloo was declared Dominica's national dish in 2013, replacing the mountain chicken, a giant frog that had become critically endangered. The canonical version is crab callaloo, made with young dasheen or tannia leaves and coconut milk, with blue land crab or the river crab cyrique in it.
🗺️
Dominica. Crab callaloo is specific: dasheen or tannia leaves cooked down in coconut milk with land or river crab, seasoned with thyme and hot pepper, and it was formally adopted as the national dish in September 2013, replacing an older unofficial one. The leaves must be cooked through, because raw dasheen leaf is sharp with calcium oxalate.
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North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Dominica
Callaloo and CrabDasheen (taro) leaves simmered with coconut, aromatics, and land crab into a lush green one-pot.
Fried Bakes with ZabocaGolden fried bakes split and filled with seasoned mashed avocado (zaboca), a simple, satisfying vegan breakfast from the Nature Isle.
Dominica Guava CheeseA firm, chewy guava paste cooked down and cut into sugared squares, a confection traditional to Dominica.
Browse all Dominica recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Dominica meal
Callaloo and CrabDinner
Dominica Guava CheeseDessert
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Bush Tea?
A fragrant Dominican herbal infusion of fresh lemongrass and garden herbs, steeped in hot water and lightly sweetened, drunk daily and for health.
Where does Bush Tea come from?
Bush Tea is a Dominican dish from Roseau, Dominica.
Can Bush Tea be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bush Tea recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bush Tea safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bush Tea take to make?
About 15 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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