How to make Kalmyk tea (RECIPE)
‘Dzhomba’, as Kalmyk tea is also called, warms and satiates. The day in the republic always begins with this drink and no celebration is complete without it. It also has its own personal holiday, Kalmyk Tea Day, which is celebrated on the third Saturday of May.
It is believed that Kalmyks owe the appearance of this drink to nomadic peoples. Due to its qualities, it has become a part of their national culture: this tea not only quenches thirst and hunger, but also has healing properties. It is prepared from pressed Chinese green tea with the addition of milk, as well as salt and various spices. Each ingredient is reminiscent of the traditional way of life of the Kalmyks. Pressed tea did not crumble when moving from place to place. And salt was added so as not to lose much moisture.
The historian Jan Potocki was surprised by the differences between ‘dzhomba’, as Kalmyk tea was called, and the drink familiar to Europeans: “The tea that Kalmyks order from China, actually for themselves, does not resemble ours at all. It consists of thick boards, almost as hard as a brick and covered with thin paper, covered with many letters. The Kalmyks brew this tea with milk and butter and, thus, make a healthy and strengthening drink out of it.”
There are many varieties of Kalmyk tea. For example, with roasting – Khuursn Tse, to which, in addition to spices, fried flour is added. And even meat Mahta Tse: to prepare it, tea and other ingredients are added to the lamb rib broth and the meat is then served separately with boiled potatoes. Classic tea is considered to be ‘Dzhomba’.
INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):
100 grams of pressed green tea
1 liter of water
1 liter of milk (can be replaced with cream)
50 grams of butter
2 tsp of salt
5-6 black peppercorns & a dash of nutmeg (you can also add bay leaf).
PREPARATION:
Add a piece of tea bar to the water and cook over medium heat, waiting for it to boil. Reduce the heat and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring gently.
Then, add warm milk and, after 10 minutes, season with salt, black pepper, nutmeg and/or bay leaf. During preparation, be sure to stir the drink clockwise. Infuse the tea for 15 minutes. Serve with a piece of butter. Dzhomba is served with salted cheese and ‘bortsoks’ – Kalmyk doughnuts.
