HIBISCUS POWDER

Traditional drink, colouring agent

Native to West Africa, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, also known as 'Bissap' or 'Guinea Gold', is a shrub that produces young shoots and leaves traditionally consumed in cooking.

This powder, 100% natural and produced from flower petals, is rich in mucilage (moisturising and softening sugars) and antioxidants, which give it its innumerable properties. Also known as bissap powder, it can be used to make many types of beverages: juice, syrup, tea, cocktails, and even jam.

Rich in proteins, lipids, and minerals, it is recognized for its virtues and beneficial properties in treating respiratory tract inflammation and gastric ailments. As a result, it is a very mild laxative. Bissap juice is also good for the digestive system.

It is also used as a food colouring agent, to colour desserts such as rice pudding, panna cotta, or compotes.

The botanical minute

Bissap is an herbaceous plant of the Malvaceae family that grows in tropical zones. Its leaves are simple, whole, or lobed. Bissap is probably the only plant whose calyxes, so loaded with organic acids, can be turned into fruit and used for the same purposes. The well-known hibiscus flower is consumed in certain regions, notably as an infusion to make Bissap, a drink said to have medicinal properties. Hibiscus oil is made from the plant's seeds, which contain large quantities of vitamin E, phytosterols, and omega-6.