Hot Ginger Tea for Long Crossings
A green or dark tea steeped strong with crushed fresh ginger, drunk piping hot throughout the watch. The drink that never left the deck.
A green or dark tea steeped strong with crushed fresh ginger, drunk piping hot throughout the watch. The drink that never left the deck.
The water in the barrels turns quickly and kills more surely than a cannonball; so on my junks, we drink tea from morning to night, always boiled, always hot. Crush a finger of ginger into it, and when the spray chills you to the bone, the belly rekindles. Drink, keep your watch, scan the horizon — a captain with warm blood does not fall asleep.
- •Tea leaves (green or dark) — a good pinch (base)
- •Fresh ginger — a piece, crushed (warmth and fragrance)
- •Boiled water — according to the teapot (safe infusion)
- •Cane sugar or honey (in port) — according to available luxury (optional sweetness)
Hot Ginger Tea for Long Crossings
A green or dark tea steeped strong with crushed fresh ginger, drunk piping hot throughout the watch. The drink that never left the deck.
Why this dish? Hot tea was consumed constantly on board; boiled, thus safe to drink when water went stale, and with ginger it warmed men soaked by the spray of the South China Sea.
The water in the barrels turns quickly and kills more surely than a cannonball; so on my junks, we drink tea from morning to night, always boiled, always hot. Crush a finger of ginger into it, and when the spray chills you to the bone, the belly rekindles. Drink, keep your watch, scan the horizon — a captain with warm blood does not fall asleep.
Ingredients (period version)
- Tea leaves (green or dark) — a good pinch (base)
- Fresh ginger — a piece, crushed (warmth and fragrance)
- Boiled water — according to the teapot (safe infusion)
- Cane sugar or honey (in port) — according to available luxury (optional sweetness)
Ingredients
- Green or pu-erh tea — 2 tsp (base)
- Fresh ginger — 4 thin slices, crushed (warming spice)
- Water — 500 ml (infusion)
- Honey or brown sugar — to taste (optional) (sweetness)
Method
- Bring the water to a boil with the crushed ginger, simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add the tea leaves and steep for 2 to 3 minutes (shorter for green tea).
- Strain into bowls.
- Sweeten optionally with honey, and drink piping hot.
How it was made : Boiling water for tea, though the microbial reason was unknown, was a vital protection against stale water on long crossings. Tea, quintessentially Chinese, accompanied every moment of shipboard life; ginger, reputed to warm the 'yang', fought the humidity of the sea.
The contemporary twist : Served iced in summer, with a slice of lime, as a refreshing 'pirate tea' nod.
Ching Shih · Charactorium
