Rooibos is produced from the plant Aspalathus linearis, a leguminous shrub unique to the Cederberg Mountains around the town of Clanwilliam and indigenous to the Western Cape of South Africa. It forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, commonly known as fynbos.

The story of Rooibos started over 300 years ago when the indigenous bushmen of the area, the Khoisan people, harvested the leaves from the plant.

They used the leaves to make herbal remedies for many ailments. And they loved the delicious, aromatic taste.

Then in 1772, European botanist Carl Thunberg observed the way the indigenous people climbed the mountains to find wild rooibos plants.

His captivation with this practice revived a more widespread interest in the tea drink. Early Cape-Dutch settlers started drinking this tea as a cheaper alternative to expensive black tea from the East.

South Africa’s Rooibos tea has become the first food in Africa to receive approval for registration under the status of international protection from the European Union. By this inclusion and recognition in the EU’s geographical indication register, Rooibos can now use the “protected designation of origin”.

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More on rooibos on how to cook with it : Cape and Karoo Cooking