In our country, people are used to drinking sweet tea - black, fragrant and strong. Sometimes they drink green - with a drop of honey. Also, many people adore herbal teas - with chamomile, St. John's wort, oregano, mint and a leaf of currant. They are usually consumed without sweetening.
And what is salty tea? Many have never encountered such a drink. Meanwhile, in the countries of Asia, he is extremely popular. And for many nations around the world, salty tea is not an exotic, but a quite traditional combination of tastes.
Name and origin
This drink originated among nomadic peoples. They were always in motion and spent a lot of time in the saddle. Therefore, they needed such tea - strong, salty, invigorating and satisfying hunger. Most likely, it was invented by the Mongols, who, having received traditional tea from China, began to prepare it according to completely different recipes. Today it is enjoyed with pleasure in many countries of Asia, in Tibet, the Caucasus and in the southern regions of Siberia.
What is salt tea called? Most often you can hear how it is called Kalmyk, Mongolian, Tibetan or Kyrgyz. You can also find the names "domba" or "jomba". Uighurs call this drink atkanchay. And in Tibet it is better known as Chasuyuma.
Every nation that considers this drink to be national has legends about its wonderful properties. According to legends, he is able to heal from deadly ailments and grievous ailments, give strength for a long journey and battle with the enemy and warm even in the most fierce frost.
What does it consist of
It looks, in the opinion of a European, rather strange. This is a strong brewed tea with salt and milk. Instead of milk, fat cream, mutton fat, and butter are often added. And also from the heart sprinkle the drink with spices - pepper and cloves.
The taste of salty tea is quite specific. And not everyone will like it. But if you try atcanay, then only in winter to fully appreciate its warming effect.
In fact, there is nothing surprising in such a composition. Sugar was originally a fairly expensive product, and it was bought only by wealthy people. Honey was also not common among nomadic peoples. But the tea had to be flavored somehow to make it more delicious. Therefore, the nomads added to it what was available - mare's milk and mutton fat. To balance the taste, the drink began to be salted.
As a result, a traditional Kalmyk tea appeared - strong, invigorating, which makes the mind bright and amuses the body.
What is the use of the drink?
Salty tea is an amazing drink. Since ancient times, people have noticed that it gives vigor and strength. Thanks to this drink, the nomads could spend all day in the saddle without food. And today, if you drink atcanay in the morning, before dinner, your hunger will disappear. Due to the unusual combination of components, salty tea has the following properties:
- quenching thirst;
- long-term reduction in hunger;
- normalization of water-salt balance;
- saturation of the body with easily digestible proteins, fats and vitamins of group B;
- invigorating and tonic effect;
- relieving symptoms of a cold;
- warming effect.
Some people believe that such a drink strengthens the immune system and contributes to speedy weight loss.
The harm of salt tea
It does not cause direct harm to health. However, it should be avoided by people with kidney disease and intolerance to dairy products, as well as pregnant women. In addition, hypertensive patients should not use it (due to the high salt content).
For the rest, atkanchai should be treated in the same way as with ordinary strong tea.
Recipes
There are a lot of salty tea recipes. In each country and region where this drink is common, there is a cooking option.
In a modern interpretation, it is boiled like this:
- Take a liter of cold clean water and add two large spoons of black large-leaf tea.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes under a lid.
- Add 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Still boil for 5 minutes.
- Strain the drink.
- Add 200 ml of good milk and a small spoonful of salt.
- Boil the tea for another couple of minutes and remove from the stove.
When serving, you can beat with a mixer and season with a pinch of nutmeg. This is the light version of the atcha - not greasy, with a rather pleasant taste.
A more traditional version is prepared on the basis of green fermented tea. Salty green tea is prepared as follows:
- Pour 100 g of dry tea with a liter of water.
- After boiling, cook for 5 minutes.
- Add a liter of good fat milk to the pan. You can take any - cow, goat, mare. Boil for a couple of minutes.
- Pour 15 g of salt, 3-4 bay leaves, a few peas of black pepper for poignancy. You can add clove flowers, nutmeg and star anise - at will and taste.
- Cook for another 5-7 minutes and remove from heat. Let it brew for 20-25 minutes.
- Mix. It is best to scoop the mixture with a ladle and pour it back.
- When serving, put a piece of butter in each cup so that it melts.
In fact, making good salty tea is a real art. Many people who have tried this drink in childhood say that today you cannot find good Kalmyk tea. According to old recipes, it must be cooked very slowly, at least an hour. And after the milk was poured into the bowl, it was impossible to bring the liquid to a boil. The salty tea was stirred all the time - taken away with a scoop and poured back. The only way to get the right taste of the drink and a good consistency. This tea warmed in the cold and pleasantly chilled in the heat.
Tea bag
Today you can buy salty tea bags. It is rare, but still found on store shelves. As a rule, this is green tea with salt and milk in the form of a powder. It is a bit like a traditional drink, but its taste is far from ideal. However, if you are tempted to try something exotic, but you don’t want to waste your energy making classic salty tea, you can buy a bag of tea.