For some people in Iraq, almost all of them actually, tea is the most important part of breakfast, also lunch, dinner, and in between meals. There are times where people would ask for tea just to get tea. They don't even feel like it, it is like heroin to some.
So in a country like Iraq where people share different religions and beliefs backgrounds, you are bound to have habits and beliefs relating to tea. Here we are going to dive into those.
Two Spoons in Your Tea? You are Going to Marry Two Women
No lie, my aunt almost divorced her husband because of this one. So basically since they use that glass(We call it Istikan) you see in the picture above with those small spoons, some of the spoons tend to get stuck together because of water, put those spoons in the glass and they separate. To some people, that easily explained phenomenon means whoever gets those two spoons will be married to two women.
You Have to Fill the Istikan to the Brim
Do you see that middle Istikan in the first picture? Yeah, that's unacceptable. And believe it or not, some people actually were killed for not filling the Istikan to the brim. And unless it was served by close family members and relatives, it will always result in a big fight, always.
The implication here is that if you hand out the tea that way, you'd be antagonizing the manhood of whoever you are serving the tea. In Iraq, there's this term "Naqis" that roughly translates to "Inferior". So, whoever gets that Istikan without tea filling it to the brim, they'd be seen as inferior. So, what do you do when you get your Istikan that way? Well, you pull out a gun and start shooting of course. It makes absolute sense, right?
Tea Bags? Are You a Child?
Using tea bags to make tea makes you a child who doesn't know how to make tea. REAL TEA needs to be made with black loose leaves.
You put those in the biggest teapot the earth has ever seen, in fact, put them in a water tank and light up wood under it. THERE'S NO SUCH A THING AS TOO MUCH TEA!!! The tea has to go past the boiling point, has to practically be coffee in some parts.
YOU. DRINK. THE. WHOLE. THING
The parts where tea has the strictest rules around it also happen to be the parts where those tea leaves are poured into the Istikan and also have little to no sugar. It is a small shot of bitterness basically. And you have to drink that tea. You just have to. There's too much hanging on the line because.
A) Not drinking it would be an insult to the host.
B) Not drinking it easily means you are inferior, because what doesn't at this point.
Don't Ever Serve the Tea Without the Spoon in the Istikan
This one doesn't accept negation, you either do it right or you are dead. The reason for that of course because you'd be calling your guest, you guessed it, inferior. The explanation for that would be is that you are basically saying your guest is basically not worth the respect of putting the spoon in the Istikan for them. The funny part about this rule is that it completely contradicts our last one.
Don't Ever Serve the Tea With the Spoon in the Istikan
Yes, that's right. The final rule is the complete opposite of the previous one. It all depends on what part of Iraq are you in. The explanation for this one is that you think they are inferior and unable to put the spoon in the Istikan themselves. It looks like people were just angry and making up rules to justify it at this point, doesn't it?
The End
I am glad you made it all the way. I will end with this if you are visiting Iraq you may wanna just skip having or serving tea. Just get a Pepsi, juice, water, I wouldn't recommend coffee because it has similar rules.