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Herbs & Cultures

Ancient Egyptian medicine →

Helba, Egyptian fenugreek tea

A warm, slightly bitter tea of fenugreek seed that you can still order in any Egyptian tea house.

Traditional use

Time
15 minutes
Makes
2 cups
Fenugreek

Fenugreek is one of Egypt's oldest cultivated plants: seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. As helba, the seed is now brewed into a tea with a scent reminiscent of maple syrup. You can also roast it lightly for a nutty flavour.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp fenugreek seed
  • 500 ml water
  • To taste: honey or sugar
  • Optional: a slice of lemon

Step by step

  1. Rinse the seed. Roast it for 1–2 minutes in a dry pan until fragrant, if you like.
  2. Bring the water and seed to the boil and simmer gently for 5–10 minutes.
  3. Strain the tea and sweeten to taste.

Tips

  • If you soak the seed overnight first, the tea becomes milder and slightly mucilaginous.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

Read more about effects and safety on each herb’s page.

  • Caution

    Africa · Herb · № 118

    Fenugreek

    Trigonella foenum-graecum

    The seed has been studied for blood sugar and for increasing breast milk. NCCIH reports there is not enough strong evidence for these uses.

    Ancient Egyptian medicine+5Folklore

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.