flipGlezele Tey, a Glass of Tea with Lemon
Glezele Tey, a Glass of Tea with Lemon
Why this dish? The glass of scalding tea, drunk through a sugar cube held between the teeth, accompanied the long nights of studying sacred texts and the endless discussions that made up the Jewish intellectual life of Central Europe — the very life of which Heschel is a direct heir, from the heder of Warsaw to American seminaries.
A strong black tea, served very hot in a glass, with a slice of lemon and, on the side, a spoonful of berry jam that melts in the mouth or in the tea.
One did not speak of God and men with a dry throat, you see. The samovar sang in a corner, and the glasses were refilled late into the night. The sugar was not put in the tea — you held it between your teeth and drank through it, sip after sip. And if there was cherry jam, a spoonful would melt slowly on the tongue: sweetness and warmth, that is what it takes to keep a discussion going until dawn.
- •Black tea leaves — strong, from the samovar (concentrated essence to dilute)
- •Boiling water — as needed (dilution)
- •Lemon — a slice (bright acidity)
- •Sugar cube — one (sweetness, held between teeth)
- •Cherry or berry jam (varenye) — a spoonful (fruity sweetness)
Glezele Tey, a Glass of Tea with Lemon
A strong black tea, served very hot in a glass, with a slice of lemon and, on the side, a spoonful of berry jam that melts in the mouth or in the tea.
Why this dish? The glass of scalding tea, drunk through a sugar cube held between the teeth, accompanied the long nights of studying sacred texts and the endless discussions that made up the Jewish intellectual life of Central Europe — the very life of which Heschel is a direct heir, from the heder of Warsaw to American seminaries.
One did not speak of God and men with a dry throat, you see. The samovar sang in a corner, and the glasses were refilled late into the night. The sugar was not put in the tea — you held it between your teeth and drank through it, sip after sip. And if there was cherry jam, a spoonful would melt slowly on the tongue: sweetness and warmth, that is what it takes to keep a discussion going until dawn.
Ingredients (period version)
- Black tea leaves — strong, from the samovar (concentrated essence to dilute)
- Boiling water — as needed (dilution)
- Lemon — a slice (bright acidity)
- Sugar cube — one (sweetness, held between teeth)
- Cherry or berry jam (varenye) — a spoonful (fruity sweetness)
Ingredients
- Strong black tea — 1 tsp per glass (infusion)
- Hot water — 200 ml per glass (infusion)
- Lemon — 1 slice (bright acidity)
- Sugar cubes — to taste (sweetness)
- Cherry jam — 1 tsp (fruity sweetness, served on the side)
Method
- Brew a strong black tea, steeped but not bitter (3 to 4 minutes).
- Pour it boiling hot into a thick glass, no milk.
- Add a lemon slice that perfumes and refreshes.
- Serve alongside a sugar cube and a small spoonful of cherry jam.
- Drink very hot, holding the sugar between your teeth in the old-fashioned way, letting the jam melt.
How it was made : Inherited from Tsarist Russia and its samovar, tea with lemon and no milk was the universal drink of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. The jam served separately, varenye, was eaten by the spoonful between sips rather than stirred in.
The contemporary twist : Served in a metal glass holder (podstakannik), it transports an entire table from Warsaw to New York in one sip.
Sources : John Cooper, Eat and Be Satisfied: A Social History of Jewish Food (1993)
Abraham Joshua Heschel · Charactorium
