Jamaican Ginger Tea

Fresh ginger gives this a good flavor and some bite. Ginger is common in Jamaica, as is this herbal tea, which contains no tea leaves.

 

Ingredients (2 servings or 3 smaller servings):

 

4 to 5 inch piece of peeled ginger, grated or cut into piece and then crushed

1 lime, washed then quartered (if you prefer lemon, use 1/2 lemon)

2 1/4 cups water

2 to 3 tablespoons honey or to taste

 

Bring the water to a boil over medium heat with the ginger. Boil for 12 minutes, turn off the heat, add the lime, cover the pan and let the mixture steep for 5 minutes (the tea should be sort of a cloudy 'yellowish' or light "brownish" color). Add the sweetener and stir, strain the tea into cups or glasses (or you can sweeten individual servings to taste).

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Bourn/Burn-Note: "burn" is the form used in Northern England, while "bourn(e)" is used in Southern England. These forms are related to "braise," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic, to "brew," "burn" (the fire-related verb and noun) and "broth," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to "fervor," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French. "Bourn(e)/burn" goes back to Indo European "bhreuh," meaning "to boil;" thus also, "to seethe, to cook, to bubble." This gave Old Germanic "brunnon," meaning "spring" (water bubbling up from the ground); thus also, "well, stream, creek." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "burna" (also "brunna") meaning "stream, creek, brook," which later became "burne," then "bourn" (sometimes also spelled "bourne"), but also "burn," matching the spelling of its more famous relative having to do with fire. The change of places of the 'r' and the vowel sound is called "metasthesis," a not uncommon occurrence, and it also took place with this specific case in some of the other Germanic languages (see Germanic relatives of "bourn/burn" below). Not in overwhelming usage in recent times, especially in American English, but it is present in place names like Kilburn and Middlebourne. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has both "Brunnen" (spring, well) and "Born" (same meaning, but seldom heard in every day speech, rather more literary, and it is likely a borrowing from Low German), Low German "Born" (spring, well), Dutch "bron" (spring, well), West Frisian "boarne" (spring, well), Danish "brønd" (well), Norwegian "brønn" (well, and they also have "brunn" as a spelling), Icelandic "brunnur" (well, spring), Swedish "brunn" (well).