Black tea from the samovar with jam (varenye)
A very strong tea (zavarka) drawn from a small teapot set on the samovar, diluted at will with boiling water. It is not sweetened in the cup: one adds a spoonful of red berry jam that melts or is eaten separately.
A very strong tea (zavarka) drawn from a small teapot set on the samovar, diluted at will with boiling water. It is not sweetened in the cup: one adds a spoonful of red berry jam that melts or is eaten separately.
The samovar at our house was never turned off, so to speak. We drew a very strong tea, almost black — the zavarka — which we diluted with boiling water as much as we liked. No complicated pastry: a spoonful of varenye, cherry or currant jam, which we let melt in the cup or sucked from the spoon between sips. It is the hour when one talks, when one is silent, when one listens to the radio.
- •Black leaf tea — for a concentrated zavarka (strong infusion)
- •Water from the samovar — as needed, boiling (dilutes the tea)
- •Varenye (loose-set red berry jam) — one spoonful per cup (sweetness, accompaniment)
- •Lemon slice (variation) — 1 (acidity, freshness)
Black tea from the samovar with jam (varenye)
A very strong tea (zavarka) drawn from a small teapot set on the samovar, diluted at will with boiling water. It is not sweetened in the cup: one adds a spoonful of red berry jam that melts or is eaten separately.
Why this dish? His anecdotal notes indicate tea drunk from the samovar: the center of intelligentsia sociability, the hour when one talks, listens to the radio — and where this anxious composer found some respite.
The samovar at our house was never turned off, so to speak. We drew a very strong tea, almost black — the zavarka — which we diluted with boiling water as much as we liked. No complicated pastry: a spoonful of varenye, cherry or currant jam, which we let melt in the cup or sucked from the spoon between sips. It is the hour when one talks, when one is silent, when one listens to the radio.
Ingredients (period version)
- Black leaf tea — for a concentrated zavarka (strong infusion)
- Water from the samovar — as needed, boiling (dilutes the tea)
- Varenye (loose-set red berry jam) — one spoonful per cup (sweetness, accompaniment)
- Lemon slice (variation) — 1 (acidity, freshness)
Ingredients
- High-quality black leaf tea — 2 tsp per small teapot (concentrate (zavarka))
- Boiling water — according to cups (dilution)
- Sour cherry or currant jam (not too sweet) — 1 tsp per cup (fruity sweetness)
- Lemon — a few slices (tangy option)
Method
- Prepare a zavarka: steep leaf tea in a small amount of water to obtain a very concentrated infusion.
- Pour a little zavarka into each cup, then top up with boiling water to desired strength.
- Do not add sugar: offer the jam on the side, to melt in the tea or eat from the spoon.
- Offer a lemon slice for those who like bitterness lifted by acidity.
How it was made : The samovar, heated with charcoal, kept water simmering for hours and sat at the center of the Russian home. Tea was not drunk sweetened in the cup but "with jam" (s varenyem), the spoonful of fruit replacing sugar — a thrifty yet convivial practice at the heart of Russian intellectual culture.
The contemporary twist : Lacking a samovar, a large insulated teapot keeps hot water all afternoon: recreate the tchaïepitié, that never-ending tea that makes conversation last.
Dmitri Shostakovich · Charactorium