How to make Turkish tea?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Few people know how and where Turkish tea came from. Many believe that residents of the Far East prefer coffee more.

Ancient history

The Turks knew about tea more than fifty centuries ago. But it was an imported product. They began to produce their own product much later. Turkish tea first appeared in the early twentieth century after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It was brought to the new republic from Georgia. For many years, the best masters have tried to grow it from selected seeds. He was first landed in Bursa, but all efforts were in vain. The capricious plant did not like the local climate. Then the plantations were moved to the Black Sea coast. Here the experts were lucky. Fertile soils, mild climate and abundance of rains played their role. The harvest was a success. Years passed, and already in 1947, the first factory was built in the small town of Riza, where they began to produce real Turkish tea. It all started with sixty tons of finished product per day, but over time, production volumes increased markedly. Domestic tea entered every home and became a real symbol of the country.

Product Description

According to its characteristicsTurkish tea is in no way inferior to the famous Indian and Chinese varieties. It is in fifth place on the list, as Turkey produces 6 percent of the total amount of tea produced worldwide. The locals are very fond of this drink. In every city you can find dozens of large and small cafes where tea is the main product. People gather here to drink several cups of this fragrant, fragrant infusion during a friendly conversation. By the way, one resident of Turkey drinks more than 2 kilograms of tea per year. According to this indicator, the country ranks fourth in the world after Ireland, Great Britain and Kuwait. Experts say that local tea contains a minimum amount of caffeine. But all over the world it is considered the cleanest, since in the process of its production a minimum of chemicals and various kinds of pesticides are used. It tastes very strong, with a pronounced tart aroma. It is slightly different from similar products made in India, Kenya, Japan or Sri Lanka. But that's the beauty of it. It cannot be confused with any other variety.

Cooking Features

In order to properly prepare a drink, you need to know how to brew Turkish tea. This issue has its own peculiarities. To begin with, it is worth noting that the national drink is usually served in special glasses. They have the shape of a tulip and are slightly narrower towards the middle. This makes it possible to better emphasize the unusual color of the drink. If everything is done correctly, then the liquid should turn out to be a dark red hue. Sometimes this tone is called "the blood of a hare." The next feature is the equipment. To prepare the drink, a special two-story teapot is used. It consists of two parts: the lower one, which is used exclusively for heating water, and the upper one, in which the brewing process takes place directly. For heating, it is customary to use fire, not electricity. Therefore, the process is usually carried out on a stove or a special burner. Water for cooking should only be fresh. In order not to spoil the taste of tea, it is better not to use repeated boiling.

Mandatory procedure

After the issue with the dishes is resolved, you can move on to the main issue. Now we need to clearly understand how to brew Turkish tea. Nothing complicated here:

1. Pour water into the lower kettle and put it on the burner. Do not use electricity. For proper cooking, there must be an open fire.
2. Place an empty small teapot on top so it can warm up.
3. Pour a few teaspoons of tea into the teapot (one for each person), cover it with a lid and put it back.
4. After a few minutes, pour some hot water over the tea leaves. After that, the teapot should be moved a little so that the leaves get wet, and then immediately pour this water away.
5. Refill the tea leaves with boiling water, cover and place on top to heat for 6-7 minutes.
6. Turn off the burner and cover the teapot with a towel.

This option makes it possible to prepare the kind of tea that people are used to drinkingresidents of Turkey.

Fruit Delight

Turkish apple tea is very popular. The locals love this fruity drink. They prepare it from fresh or dried fruits, and also use various spices for flavor. This tea is very useful, because it contains a huge amount of vitamins (E and C), minerals (magnesium, potassium and sodium) and amino acids, which not only strengthen the immune system, but also help to overcome many inflammatory processes that take place inside the body. In addition, fruit tea helps lower cholesterol. It has an invaluable positive effect on the functioning of the heart and large intestine. However, you should not drink it often to nursing mothers, pregnant women and those who are allergic to these fruits. And the preparation of the drink, in general, is very simple. It is necessary to put the apples together with the selected spices in a clean container, pour boiling water over them, cover tightly with a lid and leave for 15-20 minutes. You can also act differently. Heat all components for 15 minutes over low heat, and then let them brew a little more.

Interesting variety

Turkish tea "Sultan" is familiar to many lovers of the East. It is a mixture of herbs, spices and dried fruits, ground almost into a powder. After brewing, the drink clearly smells of eucalyptus, but over time, as a rule, it disappears a little. But the aroma of ginger, cloves, anise and cinnamon lasts much longer. It harmonizes withherbs like nettle, chamomile, lemon balm, jasmine, rosehip, sage and lavender. And to add spice, ordinary allspice is used. It is simply impossible to imagine what the infusion should taste like, in which all these spices and herbs are collected. In addition, when dry, the product has a delicate pink color, which changes only after brewing. This unusual mixture is always purchased by tourists and guests of the country in order to have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful taste and unique aroma of the drink made from the gifts of Turkey when they return home.

Fragrant "dust"

Of all the variety of known species, Turkish powdered tea occupies a special place. Someone considers it fragrant rubbish, but there are also such lovers who may not agree with this opinion. As a rule, herbal or fruit preparations are made in the form of a powder. For example, tea made from pomegranate and apples is widely known even outside the country. There is an opinion that fine grinding is a sign of product falsification. Some are simply sure of this and think that such a product can be of three types:

1) Unknown raw material, chemically treated and tinted in a certain way.

2) Regular tea.

3) Slipped tea after reprocessing.

Many countries may not agree with this opinion. For example, in Japan, for a real tea ceremony, tea leaves are used in the form of a powder. It is believed that in this form the product is able to maximize its main characteristics (color, taste, smell). However, many people are of the same opinion and are happy to buy tea in the form of fine powder in stores.

Nature's gift

Turkish herbal tea deserves special attention. It is prepared, as a rule, from linden, wild rose or sage. The names of herbs already speak for themselves. A drink prepared from them, by definition, can be considered he althy. In addition, the aroma of fresh herbs makes it even more attractive. In Turkey, for example, "ada" is especially popular. This plant is akin to our sage. Harvested during the flowering period, it has a pleasant smell and gives the drink a delicate, unique taste. The benefits of such tea are obvious, apart from direct contraindications. As you know, sage should not be consumed by young mothers whose children are breastfed. The infusion can slow down the work of the mammary glands, and this is not entirely good for the child. If a woman sets this result as her task, then it will not be difficult to achieve it. In addition to this composition, many other mixtures are known. As a rule, it is a lemon along with mint, honey or ginger, lightly seasoned with cinnamon and the zest of one of the citrus fruits. The choice is great, and everyone will be able to choose the right option for themselves.