Kazakhstan

Do you ever have one of those moments where you think, "I didn't just hear (see, read, etc) that"? I'll admit that I had one of those moments while perusing videos for Kazakhstan. Apparently they like an interesting combination of flavors in their tea. Perhaps I should learn a little more about the country.

I didn't realize that it was the 9th largest country in the world. It is listed as the largest country in central Asia, and is sandwiched between Russia and China (along with several smaller countries and a couple of seas). That geographical description does make it seem quite large. It was previously part of the U.S.S.R. Consequently, it makes me feel old to remember when the U.S.S.R. was still around. They declared their independence in 1991 (I'm now guessing that I will have the same feeling when talking about the Berlin wall in Germany...) Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The land is described as hilly, with many waterways. They don't get a lot of precipitation, and they have hot summers, and cold winters. According to this website, they also have snow leopards (random fact, I know, but snow leopards are cool).

The people in this region of the world apparently like an interesting combination of flavors in their tea. At least according to the internet. I'm old enough to not quite count the internet as a credible primary source, but I really don't have anywhere else to look.

So, here's what I'm making tea with today:


I'll admit, Lipton is not listed as the preferred brand there. They use black tea, this is just the decaf black tea that I had on hand (I was making this in the evening, and I wanted to be able to sleep later). They also include cardamom (a classic addition to tea), and fennel (not normally added to tea). I brewed a cup worth, so I didn't use all the spices I have out. I used a couple of cardamom pods, and a sprinkling of fennel. The smell of the tea brewing was both sweet and savory. The final product is served with milk.

The flavor was lightly sweet from the cardamom, and a little savory from the fennel. To me, the tea tasted vaguely like sausage. It reminded me of how people like dipping their bacon and sausage in "maple" syrup before eating them. I'm going to have to agree with my sister, and say that I really don't like the sweet/savory combination thing.

Comments

  1. Mmmm.... Sausage tea. And always mention leopards when you have a chance.

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    Replies
    1. Kitties of any shape or size are wonderful. I wonder if leopards like tea, mom once had a cat with a thing for raspberry tea.

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