Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor

The habit of referring to any hot beverage that's consumed at breakfast time as tea is one of the things that sets a Jamaican apart from everyone else in the world. In fact, it is not unusual for the person asking, 'You drink tea yet?' to really mean, 'Have you had breakfast?'

So, whether it be hot chocolate, coffee, Milo, cocoa, Horlicks, or bush tea, to the average Jamaican, the hot drink served at breakfast time every morning is simply tea.

Tea is also a must, especially for country folk who believe that you must have something hot in the mornings to get 'gas' off the 'chest'. And whether in lean times, or for various illnesses, or just out of habit, rural folk have a wide variety of herbs and plant leaves that are brewed for tea. Tradition and time-tested uses have proved their healing powers.

Food will this week explore some of them. The list includes black mint, cerasee, chocolate, leaf of life, soursop leaf, lime leaf, search mi heart and even fever grass (lemon grass).

Favourites

As children, we used to pick our favourite from the short trees that grew in most front gardens. Colon mint with the tiny lilac coloured flowers was a favourite. Later, we came to appreciate cerasee but then found out that it was not wise to brew the fresh green leaves; instead, they should be sun-dried, then steeped in hot water. The former is still practised by country people who grab a few fresh leaves on the go in the mornings.

Then there are the herbs (and we do mean that literally) that are brewed for various health reasons - from bellyache to asthma. Many people still believe that a few leaves from the ganja plant make a good home remedy for asthma and stomach ache. The leaves from the pimento, soursop and lime or orange trees are also said to have medicinal properties.

Whatever your preference, next time you sip from your fine China, ceramic or enamel cup, remember that you are not just aping an English tradition, but also simply drinking tea!