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).    

Malaysian Ginger Tea: Teh Halia

Ginger tea is a delightfully flavorful drink. There are variations to the recipe I have below that sweeten the tea with sugar or honey and then milk is added instead of sweetened condensed milk. I add orange peel and whole or ground cloves (which is perhaps a Chinese influence?), but that is something you can leave out if you prefer. You can certainly use more sweetened condensed milk if you like a sweeter drink. And make no mistake, there are also other variations. It is a beverage served in Malaysia and in Singapore.

 

Serve with cake, bread and jam or sandwiches.

Ingredients (2 servings of 6 ounces each):

2 teabags of black tea or 2 teaspoons loose tea (I add 2 1/2 teaspoons, I like stronger tea)

12 ounces water

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced 

2 pieces fresh orange peel 1 inch each (1/2 inch wide)

2 cloves or a pinch of ground cloves

2 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon for each cup, plus more to preference

Add the water and the sliced ginger to a pan. Bring the water to a steady simmer and simmer the sliced ginger for 10 minutes. At the 5 minute mark, add the black tea, orange peel and cloves. At the 10 minute mark, remove from the heat and let set for about 1 minute. Strain and add sweetened condensed milk to taste. 

 

  Malaysian ginger tea with sliced Portuguese roll and blackberry jam ...

 

WORD HISTORY:

Pumice-This word is related to "spumoni," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Italian, and to "foam," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to the Indo European root "(s)poih-," seemingly meaning "froth, foam." This gave Latin "pumex," meaning "porous, low density rock formed from bubble-filled solidified volcanic lava;" thus, sort of "frothy rock." This then became "pomex" (accusative: "pomicem") and this passed to Latin-based Old French as "pomis," with the same meaning. English borrowed the word in the early 1400s from Anglo-French, the French dialect that developed among French speakers in England in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest.    

Filipino Ginger Tea: Salabat

In the Philippines a citrus fruit called a calamansi is often used in this tea. It looks much like a lime before it matures, but then it starts to look something more like a lemon or even an orange. Lemons are fine as a substitute. Brown sugar is often used as the sweetening agent, but some use honey, which I prefer in such beverages. "Salabat" is used as a remedy for colds and stomach problems, but like regular tea, it is a wonderful beverage in its own right. Remember, ginger has some "zip;" thus, it's been used for centuries as a seasoning ingredient.  

Ingredients (about 4 to 6 servings):

6 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 medium unpeeled lemon, washed and sliced
1 quart fresh water
3 tablespoons honey (more for serving, if desired)

Put all ingredients into a saucepan (with a lid) over medium heat. Adjust heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve and serve hot, with extra honey to preference. Refrigerate any remaining amount; reheat before serving (microwave or stove top).   

I put the Salabat into a clear glass for the photos ...

WORD HISTORY:
Horizon-This word is related to "aphorism" ("a statement showing principle"), a word borrowed by English from French, which had it from Latin, which had gotten it from Greek. The ultimate origin of "horizon" is unclear, but it goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "horos," which meant, "limit, boundary," also, "the stones used to mark boundaries, and to divide land." This provided the basis of the Greek verb "horizein," meaning, "to limit, to divide, to bound." Its participle, "horizon," was used to denote something "bounded, limited;" thus, "the edge, the limit;" thus, "the horizon." Latin borrowed this as "horizon" and this passed to Latin-based Old French as "orizonte," with no "h," and perhaps initially taken into French from the Latin genitive, accusative or dative forms, all of which have "t" ("horizontis," "horizontem," "horizonti"), but this then became "orizon." This was borrowed by English around 1400 as "orizoun/orisoun" (Anglo-Norman form?). The 1600s saw the spelling changed to "horizon" in English, as the Latin spelling prevailed. By the way, "horizon" replaced the native English word "éaggemearc," literally, "eyemark"; that is, "the mark or distance seen by the eye." Our modern word "eye" was once spelled with a 'g' (or two), as its German cousin still is, "Auge."