Few people know how and where Turkish tea came from. Many believe that residents of the Far East prefer coffee more.
Ancient history
Turks knew about tea even 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. He was brought to the new republic from Georgia. For many years, the best craftsmen tried to grow it from selected seeds. He was first landed in Bursa, but all efforts were in vain. The moody plant did not like the local climate. Then the plantations were moved to the Black Sea coast. Here, experts expected luck. Fertile soils, mild climate and plenty of rain played a role. The crop was a success. Years passed, and already in 1947, in the small town of Riza, the first factory was built, 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 characteristics, Turkish tea is in no way inferior to the famous Indian and Chinese varieties. He is in fifth place on the list, because Turkey produces 6 percent of the total amount of tea produced worldwide. Locals really like 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 a few 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. Specialists claim that local tea contains a minimal 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 manufactured in India, Kenya, Japan or Sri Lanka. But this is all the beauty. It cannot be confused with any other variety.
Cooking features
In order to properly prepare the drink, you need to know how to brew Turkish tea. This issue has its own characteristics. 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 slightly narrowed 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 a dark red hue. Sometimes this tone is called "hare blood." The next feature is equipment. To prepare the drink, a special two-story kettle is used. It consists of two parts: the lower, which is used exclusively for heating water, and the upper, in which the brewing process takes place directly. For heating, it is customary to use fire, not electricity. Therefore, the process is usually conducted 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 is resolved with the dishes, you can go to the main issue. Now we need to clearly understand how to brew Turkish tea. There is nothing complicated here:
- Pour water into the lower kettle and put it on the burner. Do not use electricity. For proper cooking there must be an open flame.
- Install an empty small brewing kettle on top so that it can warm up.
- Pour a few teaspoons of tea into the teapot (one for each person), cover it with a lid and put in place.
- After a few minutes, pour the tea leaves with a little hot water. After this, you need to move the teapots a little so that the leaves get wet, and then immediately pour this water away.
- Pour boiling water over the tea leaves again, cover and put on top for heating for 6-7 minutes.
- Turn off the burner and cover the teapot with a towel.
This option makes it possible to make tea that the people of Turkey are used to drinking.
Fruit pleasure
Turkish apple tea is very popular. Locals love this fruit 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 work of the heart and colon. However, you should not drink it often to nursing mothers, pregnant women and those who are allergic to these fruits. And preparing a drink, in general, is very simple. It is necessary to put the apples together with the selected spices in a clean container, pour them with boiling water, cover tightly with a lid and leave it for 15-20 minutes. You can 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, crushed almost into powder. After brewing, the smell of eucalyptus is clearly felt in the drink, but over time, it usually disappears a little. But the aroma of ginger, cloves, anise and cinnamon lasts much longer. It harmoniously combines with herbs such as nettle, chamomile, lemon balm, jasmine, rose hip, sage and lavender. And to spice it up, ordinary allspice is used. It is simply impossible to imagine what the infusion, which contains all these spices and herbs, should taste like. In addition, when dry, the product has a delicate pink color, which changes only after brewing. This unusual mixture is always acquired by tourists and visitors of the country, so that upon returning home they will have the opportunity to once again enjoy the wonderful taste and unique aroma of a drink prepared from the gifts of Turkey.
Fragrant dust
Of the variety of known species, Turkish powder tea occupies a special place. Someone considers it fragrant garbage, but there are 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, pomegranate and apple tea is widely known even outside the country. There is an opinion that fine grinding is a sign of falsification of products. Some are simply sure of this and think that such a product can be of three types:
1) Unknown raw materials, chemically processed and tinted in a certain way.
2) Ordinary tea.
3) Drunk tea after re-processing.
Many countries may disagree with this opinion. For example, in Japan, tea is used in the form of a powder for a real tea ceremony. It is believed that in this form the product is able to maximize its basic characteristics (color, taste, smell). However, many people are of the same opinion and are happy to buy tea in the form of a fine powder in stores.
Natural gift
Of particular note is Turkish herbal tea. It is prepared, as a rule, from linden, rose hip or sage. The names of the herbs already speak for themselves. A drink made from them can already be considered useful by definition. In addition, the aroma of fresh herbs makes it even more attractive. In Turkey, for example, “hell” is especially popular. This plant is akin to our sage. Collected 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 breast-fed. 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 be quite easy to achieve it. In addition to this composition, many other mixtures are known. Typically, this is a lemon with mint, honey or ginger, slightly seasoned with cinnamon and zest of one of the citrus fruits. The choice is great, and everyone can choose the right option for themselves.