🥤 DRINK
Iraqi Chai
Deep-red, syrup-strong black tea served in a little waisted istikan glass with heaps of sugar, the pulse of Baghdad's teahouses.
Iraqi · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 15 min
~0 cal · 0g protein · 0g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 0g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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In Iraq, tea is not so much a drink as a way of life, taken many times a day and central to work, rest, and hospitality alike. It is brewed dark and strong in a stacked two-pot system, water boiling below while a concentrated tea above, to be diluted to strength in the glass.
It is served in the istikan, a small, waisted glass shaped to be gripped by the rim when hot, and taken very sweet, with the sugar often left to settle undissolved at the bottom so the last sip is sweetest. The glass, the shape, and the sweetness are all part of the ritual.
Its true home is the chaikhana, the traditional teahouse, where people gather to drink glass after glass over dominoes, backgammon, and long conversation. Strong, sweet, and constant, Iraqi chai punctuates every hour of a Baghdad day.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- 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
- 3 tbsp loose black tea (Ceylon)
- 5 cups water
- 2 pods (optional)
- to taste sugar
Instructions
- 1Boil the water in a lower pot and set a smaller teapot with the tea leaves on top to warm.
- 2Add a little boiling water to the leaves with the cardamom and let them steep and bloom over the steam.
- 3After 10-15 minutes, pour the strong tea concentrate into istikan glasses and top with boiling water to taste.
- 4Serve very hot with sugar spooned into each glass.
Baghdad teahouse tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Baghdad. Masgouf is cooked standing up. The carp is split down the back, salted, staked on a frame around a wood fire with the open side to the flames for close to an hour, then laid flat on the embers to finish. The riverside strip at Abu Nuwas is where Baghdadis go for it.
🗺️
Iraq. Iraqi cooking descends from ancient Mesopotamia, famous for masgouf grilled river fish, dolma, and slow-cooked stews over rice. Dates, tamarind, and dried lime lend a distinctive sweet-and-sour depth.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Iraq
Iraqi DolmaVine leaves and vegetables stuffed with tomato-and-pomegranate rice, packed tight and steamed until sweet-sour and tender.
Kahi with GeymarFlaky layered pastry baked crisp, soaked in syrup, and topped with rich clotted geymar cream.
MasgoufButterflied river fish marinated and slow-grilled over open flame, Iraq's national dish and the pride of Baghdad.
Browse all Iraq recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Steamer.
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it an Iraq meal
Iraqi DolmaDinner
KleichaDessert
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Iraqi Chai?
Deep-red, syrup-strong black tea served in a little waisted istikan glass with heaps of sugar, the pulse of Baghdad's teahouses.
Where does Iraqi Chai come from?
Iraqi Chai is an Iraqi dish from Baghdad, Iraq.
Can Iraqi Chai be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Iraqi Chai recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Iraqi Chai 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 still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), 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 Iraqi Chai take to make?
About 20 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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