Veronica's Kitchen Day 15: The Comforts of (Chai) Tea

Some of the more cozy moments we'd share together were  over tea. Coffee may have been our favorite ritual in the morning. But evenings belonged to tea.

Three types of tea come to mind when I think of grandma's comforting presence:

1) First, and most vibrant memory I have is of a dried, herbal tea she called, "Okhlamour". It is the Turkish name for what I am now learning is linden tea.  This tea comes from the flowers of the linden or tilia tree (tilleul in French). Linden tea is both medicinal and beautifully aromatic. To this day, I associate this tea with the love and comfort grandma provided, especially when one of us was sick with a bad cold or flu.

2) Mint tea: Although more of a Moroccan tradition, this was a popular tea to help with digestion. A handful of fresh mint leaves were placed in a cup of herbal tea. We'd then sweeten it with heaps of white sugar.

3) Black tea with cinnamon and cloves. This one was my grandma's favorite, but it was my mom who'd actually prepare it during her later years, when she grew tired in the evenings. In a two-step process, mom boiled some water with couple cinnamon sticks and cloves in one kettle. In another, she'd prepare some concentrated black tea. She'd then mix both to a perfect dilution to give off just the right aroma and intensity.  We loved using a good, orange clove honey to sweeten. I also liked adding milk to mine, while grandma liked hers with no milk, and only slightly sweetened.

Here's one of the last pictures I have with Grandma Veronica. While she looks cute in her pink bathrobe, I like the composition of this picture because of our positioning. She's enjoying her cup and I am just across from her with my tea (the cookie is my mom's clever idea).