Celebrity chef champions Rooibos tea in new recipe

South African fans of Yotam Ottolenghi, the Israeli-born chef and prolific cookbook author,  will be pleased to see that he’s utilising Rooibos tea in his recipes. 

The celeb chef posted an image to his Instagram account with the caption:  “little test kitchen update: Rhubarb poached in rooibos tea, with a clotted cream and ginger mousse hiding underneath. #testkitchen”. 

We love the sound of this flavour combo and it’s great to see chefs like Ottolenghi playing around with South African ingredients. Rooibos tea has garnered a lot of global recognition in the last few years with a big demand for the product in Japan, ironically. Remember when it even featured in a Marvel comic strip? 

The name Rooibos comes from the Afrikaans word meaning  ‘red bush’ which is a fynbos shrub called Aspalathus linearis. It’s grown in the Cederberg region of South Africa, where the leaves are used to make the iconic herbal tea that’s a staple in households across the country. 

What’s your favourite way to use Rooibos in cooking? If you’re in need of inspiration, check out our top 12 recipes.