Armenia
Sometimes procrastination pays off. When I first started researching tea in Asia, I didn't come up with anything for Armenia. On a whim, I looked again this morning, and found a charming video about making tea from an Armenian American cooking channel. While it appeared to be a more off the cuff video (at the end, she said she didn't think anyone really would want the recipe for her tea), it was easy to follow, and I made my own version at home.
Armenia is one of the oldest centers of civilization. There is a long history of the country being larger, then smaller, then larger again - depending on who was winning conflicts in the region. Like so many other countries in the region, it was part of the Soviet Union for a time. Just over 60% of their population lives in urban areas. They are a very ethnically homogeneous country, and conflict in the 1990's caused many people to leave the country and live abroad. That brings me back to her cooking channel on YouTube. The presenter talked about the cooler weather of fall being here (whenever she made the video), and here I am viewing it in the fall. I guess I better make it then.
The ingredients are pretty simple. Earl Grey tea, a piece of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cardamom (optional). I was quite amused by the allspice. When I first started this blog, I bought several spices in the bulk spice section so I would have them on hand. I thought the allspice looked like something that would be used frequently, so I bought some. Over a year later, this is the first time I've used them!
Preparation is also simple, pour boiling hot water over your ingredients and steep for 10 minutes. She used a very pretty porcelain tea pot. I used, well, what I had. I made half a batch compared to what she made. 1.5 cups of water (scant 375 mL), and a teaspoon of tea.
She also talked about how this is often made with a samovar in Armenia (samovars were discussed in earlier posts). Since she didn't tote one around with her, she said to cover your teapot (or saucepan) with a couple of towels to keep it warm, and to add hot water to your tea concentrate when you are ready to drink it.
Yes, I know, this is the height of elegance, a pea green towel over a pan.
This is the final product. At least I have a dainty cup and saucer to serve it with. When I first looked at the tea, I thought it looked kind of pale to be considered a concentrated tea, so I just added a little bit of hot water. In reality, I added a little more water after tasting it. It is a very good tea with a pleasant level of spice. The woman who was making tea said that it is traditional to serve this with preserves or dried fruit. As luck had it, I had some dried fruit on hand, and it makes a nice compliment to the tea. Thankfully the entire world hasn't gone crazy for pumpkin spice this time of year!
Armenia is one of the oldest centers of civilization. There is a long history of the country being larger, then smaller, then larger again - depending on who was winning conflicts in the region. Like so many other countries in the region, it was part of the Soviet Union for a time. Just over 60% of their population lives in urban areas. They are a very ethnically homogeneous country, and conflict in the 1990's caused many people to leave the country and live abroad. That brings me back to her cooking channel on YouTube. The presenter talked about the cooler weather of fall being here (whenever she made the video), and here I am viewing it in the fall. I guess I better make it then.
The ingredients are pretty simple. Earl Grey tea, a piece of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cardamom (optional). I was quite amused by the allspice. When I first started this blog, I bought several spices in the bulk spice section so I would have them on hand. I thought the allspice looked like something that would be used frequently, so I bought some. Over a year later, this is the first time I've used them!
Preparation is also simple, pour boiling hot water over your ingredients and steep for 10 minutes. She used a very pretty porcelain tea pot. I used, well, what I had. I made half a batch compared to what she made. 1.5 cups of water (scant 375 mL), and a teaspoon of tea.
She also talked about how this is often made with a samovar in Armenia (samovars were discussed in earlier posts). Since she didn't tote one around with her, she said to cover your teapot (or saucepan) with a couple of towels to keep it warm, and to add hot water to your tea concentrate when you are ready to drink it.
Yes, I know, this is the height of elegance, a pea green towel over a pan.
It's funny how often we prepare for things and realize later how little the preparations line up with the reality of what we would need... But at least the allspice finally got some use.
ReplyDeleteSo true. They looked and smelled nice, so they certainly had to be used somewhere.
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