Chewing Qat - Yeminis' national past time!

I had never heard of Qat till I landed in Yemen! All Yemeni men seem to be talking of Qat and preoccupied with getting a good quality bag of Qat leaves as post lunch they would indulge in chewing these leaves...putting in one side of the cheeks till the cheeks are bulging like a small ball!

Qat is a plant grown all over Yemen. Sometimes it is spelt as Kat or Khat. It seems the coffee plants which were being grown in some areas are now slowly being replaced by the Qat plants as they can harvest it many times unlike coffee. The fresh leaves when chewed makes one excited/ energetic as well as euphoric. It is described as lil stronger than drinking pots of strong coffee!

You will see markets for Qat only and one can be rest assured that this is a very busy market. It's serious business time here. The sellers will call out saying that they have very good Qat at a very good price. They will try to get your attention even if they have to push one another as you can see from the picture below!

The Yeminis will haggle and negotiate the price for their daily bag of Qat leaves. They will scout around for the best they can afford. Different quality has different prices.

After getting their bags of Qat for the day, they will wash the leaves, drain the water to let it dry while they wait for the lunch to arrive! (Though I have seen some chewing straight off from the market!)

My Driver offering me Qat as we drive along the Yemini countryside.

Did I try chewing Qat? Of course I sure did! See me in the photo below....chewing...nay eating! I say eating as I was not storing away in my cheek as I'm supposed to but in my stomach! I just chewed and swallowed it! The leaves are a lil strong but as one chews one gets used to the taste! One could easily get into the habit of chewing Qat!

In Jibla I even saw an old man pounding Qat leaves with a pestle.....preparing his Qat intake as he had no teeth to chew!

Did I like chewing Qat? Well, it was not bad. Fresh tender leaves with a distinct taste which grows on you....as you chew! I only chewed few hence didn't feel anything happening to my mood! For some effect to take place you would need to chew for hours storing away in one side of your cheek. 

Will I chew Qat again? Probably yes! In Yemen everyone does....it's a social activity. There's Qat sittings everywhere and to be one amongst them....I think I can chew some leaves! :)