How to brew Kalmyk tea? The benefits and harms of Kalmyk tea

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

How often do we drink tea? Yes, almost all the time! Only for us, tea is not just a drink, but a full meal, which is accompanied by the absorption of buns, sweets, sandwiches and even second courses.

“Drink tea” means to sit at the table, eat, go to a cafe, where to order a piece of cake or pizza for a cup of drink. Sometimes we even forget about the tea itself, enjoying the meal. But for the Kalmyks, everything is different, and tea is very important for them, because it is not only an everyday drink, but also a nutritious dish: two cups of tea with a piece of homemade bread is enough for an adult man all day. Why is Kalmyk tea so unique?

Tea's birthplace

It should be noted that Kalmyk tea is often drunk by the Adygs, who simply borrowed it from the Kalmyks. But this is not the only people who fell under the peculiar charm of the drink. Mongols, Buryats and others adopted the reciperelated peoples. Kalmyk tea has a non-standard composition, because in addition to tea and milk, s alt is added to it. They collected the secret recipe literally bit by bit, since the tea was taken from the Chinese, and the ancient Mongols added milk to it. The Chinese themselves do not like milk. Some historians believe that this is a sign of their protest against the nomads.

How did tea come to us?

When the ancient Mongols conquered territories and created their empire, the peoples who became part of the Golden Horde adopted elements of culture. For example, tea came to Russia from the Golden Horde. But directly the science of how to brew Kalmyk slab tea was given to Russia hard. Of course, it was convenient for nomad riders to take tiles with them, and not a scattering of tea, so they exported weighty “bricks” of tea leaves and stems from China. The Kalmyks passed on their drinking culture to the Adygs and all kindred peoples - from now on they drank tea with milk, butter, s alt and pepper. But the Circassians themselves turned out to be experimenters: they added horse sorrel and medicinal oregano to tea leaves to give a light aroma. In the Soviet Union, they drank tea made from recycled tea waste. In general, the simplification of the procedure for brewing tea was only in the hands of avid tea lovers, since now you can prepare a drink in different ways.

Cooking process

So, a man tired of soda and coffee wanted to drink a nutritious drink. The preparation of Kalmyk tea begins with measuring the required dose of tea leaves: it is better to take twice as much as compared to regular tea drinking. A scattering of tea should be right in the cup, andnot a teapot, so it is recommended to take a larger cup. Two-thirds of the cup is poured with boiling water and infused for several minutes. Now you need to dilute the tea with hot milk and throw in a piece of butter, and then s alt and pepper the tea. By the way, hot milk can be poured instead of boiling water. This is a modern way of cooking, but how to brew Kalmyk tea according to the old traditions? After all, sometimes even the mood itself calls to join the story. Then you have to boil tea in a cauldron and insist all night. At the same time, the tonic properties disappear completely, but the stimulating effect is strengthened. By the way, if Kalmyk tea is prepared on the basis of horse sorrel, then there is no strong stimulating effect, and it is quite possible to infuse it overnight.

Pros and cons of the ancient drink

In general, should a modern person drink Kalmyk tea? Its benefits and harms are questionable. If, for example, we talk about horse sorrel tea, then the biological and medical properties of the rhizome are known. To some extent, the upper parts of the plant are also useful, however, the effect will be only from the regular use of the drink. The taste of horse sorrel infusion seems astringent, which will be unusual for a person who has tried Kalmyk tea for the first time. The benefits and harms of it are incomparable. So, tea lowers blood pressure, improves bile formation and bile secretion. If oregano is added to the tea, then an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and analgesic effect is added. So there is only one benefit around, and the harm can be purely in a specific aftertaste, which isvery rich, and individual intolerance.

First time treat

When a person who is far from the Kalmyk culture tries the national drink for the first time, the impression can be ambiguous. Few people immediately fall in love with him, because the combination of tea and butter, s alt and milk repels. There are certain stereotypes regarding the concept of tea drinking. For a Russian person, tea is an event, it is a hot and sweet drink that warms after a frost, calms and sets in a positive way. But Kalmyk tea is a fatty, s alty and spicy drink that shocks all taste buds. But such tea is just a variation of a traditional drink, moreover, a softened and adapted variation. Kalmyks themselves added to it not even butter, but melted mutton fat. But the Mongols went even further and brewed their tea with fried pieces of fat tail and ram bone marrow. Perhaps, Kalmyk tea with milk and butter would be perceived more loyally if it were declared not as tea, but as a nutritious milk drink, soup, or even a means to restore vigor and male strength. In many cafes, by the way, the waiters go for this trick and paint the virtues of tea, calling it a tonic, stimulating and healing agent.

Adyghe style

How to brew Kalmyk tea in the traditions of the Circassians? After all, they have contributed a lot to making tea more pleasant to the taste. Repeating the preparation of a drink is not so difficult if you free up some time and stock upall the necessary ingredients. You need to take a few branches of horse sorrel and rinse them well. Now they are placed on the bottom of the saucepan and poured with water. Horse sorrel is simmered over low heat for at least an hour until a rich color is obtained. The finished broth should still be infused, and then the branches can be removed. About a third of the resulting volume, the broth should be diluted with milk and boiled all together. And now it's time for spices: s alt and black pepper to taste. On a saucepan you will need a piece of butter from 50 to 100 grams. It is not necessary to drink Kalmyk tea hot, but this way the taste will be more pleasant. And if, when adding, you overdo it with butter or add lamb fat, then an unpleasant film may appear on the cooled drink, which will not add appetite. By the way, tea is traditionally drunk with national pastries, such as slots, guubat and halyuzh.

Tips for housewives

It's a shame to cook such a rarity and be left without praise when picky relatives, seeing a cup of tea with butter, decide that the dishes were just dirty. Therefore, it is best to cook a meal in the Kalmyk style for the first time. Hot meat with spices, fried on coals, salads and pastries, and Kalmyk tea is served closer to dessert. The benefits of this drink are incredible, and any man will be happy to hear how much this cup will give him. Imagine nomads. How did they live? How could they tirelessly move across continents? Their strength was great, and under the yoke of the Golden Horde, many laid down their lives. So maybe they had a secret? Yes, that's their secret, wonderful tea. Only cooked according to all the rules using whole branches of horse sorrel. By the way, the integrity of the branches is important not only for aesthetic reasons, because the stems help to fix the branches at the bottom of the pot and do not allow them to float, enriching the taste of tea. You can brew it very quickly if you immediately s alt the cold water, and only then pour it over the branches. Such a simple trick will save 30-40 minutes of time. When the tea leaves become dark, it makes no sense to boil further, as useful substances will leave. You do not need to s alt too much, because the rule of unders alting and overs alting is relevant in all cases. But you can experiment with spices, because tea can be fragrant. Most often they do with black pepper, but if desired, you can add red, dried cilantro or basil. By the way, it is not recommended to cook in aluminum pans, as they oxidize. It is better to take cast iron, enameled or Teflon coated. Enameled pots, by the way, are rather capricious, as they may burn while boiling tea with milk.

Kalmyk style

Kalmyks made tea a little differently compared to Circassians. They crushed the stove tea and poured it with cold water, after which they boiled it until it boiled and removed the twigs that appeared. Then warmed cream was poured into the tea leaves, s alt, peppercorns, pre-grated nutmeg were poured. Cloves and bay leaves were optionally added. The almost ready drink was flavored with oil and s alt, after which it was allowed to stand for 10 minutes.

And the older generation could not switch to the “light” version, and to the tea prepared in this wayadds a secret ingredient (flour fried in mutton's internal fat).

From history

Unusual and strange drink, as it turned out, has no less unusual history. According to one version, tea was invented by a Tibetan lama, who saved the strength of monks who did not eat meat. A hearty and tasty drink was like soup, restored energy and nourished the body. And another version says that the reason for the invention of tea was the illness of a religious reformer, who was prescribed it as a medicine. For greater satiety, mutton fat was added to tea. The drink quickly gained popularity and put the reformer on his feet, and he ordered the students to start the day with a bowl of Kalmyk tea. A rather interesting version of the origin of the drink is based on the fact that the Kalmyks only slightly changed the brewing method adopted by the Chinese. A tea ceremony, according to all the rules, is a bit difficult to conduct in the steppe, and sometimes there is not enough water, but mare and camel milk is in abundance. So they began to brew tea with milk, flavoring it with oil and spices for satiety, taste and aroma.

For treatment

The healing effect of tea has already been described, but it turns out that it can be prescribed for serious illnesses as a cure, not a prophylaxis. In many families, even in our country, parents save mutton fat, which is heated and added to milk for children. It is a great way to treat respiratory problems, colds and coughs. Milk and fat soften the throat, warm and have a beneficial effect on the digestion process and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Doctorsmade a logical conclusion and began to recommend tea with butter as a folk remedy. And why torture yourself and your child with an unpleasant fatty swill, if you can make a truly spicy drink? By the way, he has no contraindications and age restrictions. In nursing mothers, when drinking tea, lactation increases, which cannot but rejoice a young family and a small person. The only recommendation for this period concerns the amount of spices - after all, it is better to add them less.

On holidays

Holidays, always looked forward to, are fraught with uncontrolled drinking and gluttony. The following weekdays show that the body was dumbfounded by the changes in the diet and cannot recover. And in such cases, Kalmyk tea will help, because it is a powerful tool in the fight against a hangover. It is not for nothing that oil is recommended to be eaten before a feast, citing the fact that it envelops the stomach. Kalmyk tea performs the same function and quickly removes the decay products of alcohol from the body. In addition, it fights nausea and heartburn, and has a positive effect on brain function.

Modern style

Finally, it is worth discussing the possibility of making an ancient drink at home. The average family will prefer loose tea bags over loose tea, citing ease of preparation and waste disposal. In fact, there is no need to constantly wash the teapot, monitor its boiling, and the taste of tea is always the same. But here is Kalmyk tea insachets - it's still nonsense. After all, the main magic of taste just happens when brewing and boiling the broth. But you can try making tea. Pour boiling water over several bags of tea and let it brew. Then you can add milk or cream and boil the resulting mixture. By the way, tea is better to take neutral, without flavorings. You need to add spices and oil according to taste, remembering that after cooling the tea will lose its attractiveness.