~0 cal · 0g protein · 0g carbs · 0g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Istikan glass of dark red tea
🇮🇶 Baghdad
In Iraq, tea is life. Brewed dark and strong in a stacked two-pot system and poured into small waisted glasses called istikan, Iraqi chai is taken very sweet, with sugar settled at the bottom. Sipped in chaikhanas over dominoes and conversation, it punctuates every hour of a Baghdad day.
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Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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3 tbsp loose black tea (Ceylon)
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5 cups water
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2 pods cardamom (optional)
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to taste sugar
Instructions
1
Boil the water in a lower pot and set a smaller teapot with the tea leaves on top to warm.
2
Add a little boiling water to the leaves with the cardamom and let them steep and bloom over the steam.
3
After 10–15 minutes, pour the strong tea concentrate into istikan glasses and top with boiling water to taste.
4
Serve very hot with sugar spooned into each glass.
Baghdad teahouse tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Baghdad. Tigris kitchens layering rice, meat, and sweet-sour depth.
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Iraq. Mesopotamia — arguably where cooking was first written down.
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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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