There's a popular refrain among Somali creators on TikTok: “Ilahayow guri aan shaah laga karin hana dajin,” or “God, don’t let us live in a house where tea is not brewed.”
What is it about a warm cup of tea? For Ifrah F. Ahmed, a Somali-born writer, chef and recipe contributor for New York Times Cooking, who grew up drinking caano iyo shaah and the many variations of milk tea from across the world, it’s a connection to her younger self.
When Ahmed was growing up, her mother would make shaah with black tea, pounding spices and fresh ginger in a mortar and pestle to add to the brew. Sugar was mandatory, then it was all topped off with either whole milk or Nido milk powder.
Samar Bengawi, a Sudanese writer and final-year medical student at European University in Tbilisi
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