flipSukhari and Blueberry Jam for Tea
Sukhari and Blueberry Jam for Tea
Why this dish? We know Mendeleev drank tea in prodigious quantities. The chayepitiye, the Russian tea ritual from the samovar, was accompanied by sukhari (sweet rusks) for dipping and jam (varenie) eaten by the spoonful between sips. Blueberries and cranberries came from northern forests, even from Siberia where he was born.
Thin, golden, crunchy sweet rusks made for dipping into hot tea, served with a barely sweet wild berry jam eaten by the small spoon.
Tea, you see, is my true fuel — I drink it strong and endlessly as long as work lasts. Next to the glass, we set the sukhari, those sweet croutons that you dip just for a moment, and a pot of blueberry varenie from our northern forests. We do not sweeten the tea: we take a bite of jam, then drink over it, in our custom. It is my only luxury, and it costs only a little patience.
- •Stale brioche or milk bread — a few slices (rusk base)
- •Sugar — a little (sweetness)
- •Butter — a little (richness)
- •Blueberries (or lingonberries, cranberries) — a basket (jam)
- •Honey or sugar — in measured parts (jam)
- •Black tea — strong, from the samovar (accompanying drink)
Sukhari and Blueberry Jam for Tea
Thin, golden, crunchy sweet rusks made for dipping into hot tea, served with a barely sweet wild berry jam eaten by the small spoon.
Why this dish? We know Mendeleev drank tea in prodigious quantities. The chayepitiye, the Russian tea ritual from the samovar, was accompanied by sukhari (sweet rusks) for dipping and jam (varenie) eaten by the spoonful between sips. Blueberries and cranberries came from northern forests, even from Siberia where he was born.
Tea, you see, is my true fuel — I drink it strong and endlessly as long as work lasts. Next to the glass, we set the sukhari, those sweet croutons that you dip just for a moment, and a pot of blueberry varenie from our northern forests. We do not sweeten the tea: we take a bite of jam, then drink over it, in our custom. It is my only luxury, and it costs only a little patience.
Ingredients (period version)
- Stale brioche or milk bread — a few slices (rusk base)
- Sugar — a little (sweetness)
- Butter — a little (richness)
- Blueberries (or lingonberries, cranberries) — a basket (jam)
- Honey or sugar — in measured parts (jam)
- Black tea — strong, from the samovar (accompanying drink)
Ingredients
- Brioche or milk bread — 1/2 loaf (rusk base)
- Melted butter — 30 g (richness)
- Sugar (+ pinch of cinnamon) — 3 tbsp (sweetness)
- Blueberries (fresh or frozen) — 400 g (jam)
- Sugar for jam — 200 g (jam)
- Lemon juice — 1 tbsp (acid balance)
- Strong black tea — for serving (accompanying drink)
Method
- For the jam: gently cook the blueberries with sugar and lemon juice for 20-25 minutes until syrupy, skim, and jar.
- For the sukhari: slice the brioche into sticks, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake at 150°C for 20-30 minutes, turning once, until the rusks are dry, golden, and crunchy.
- Let cool: they harden as they dry and keep well in a tin.
- Serve with very strong black tea: dip the sukhari, eat the jam by the spoonful between sips, without sweetening the tea.
How it was made : Sukhari (rusks) were originally a way to preserve bread by drying — travel and Lent provisions. Drinking tea 'vprikusku', i.e., biting sugar or jam separately rather than dissolving them, was common practice. The samovar kept water hot for hours.
The contemporary twist : Present the sukhari standing upright in a glass like test tubes, and line up three small pots of varenie in different colors — blueberry, lingonberry, currant — like a color chart of elements.
Dmitri Mendeleev · Charactorium
