With the winter chill and everyday stress, it's easy to catch a cold, making a good cup of tea a necessity. In the Dominican Republic, the season for "Té de Jengibre" is in full swing, providing relief for the common cold. This traditional concoction, made with ginger and spices, is a staple at morning and evening gatherings in December. It's a favorite of mine, and I could drink it all year round.
The elderberry flower, lemongrass, and orange tree leaves used in the tea are all organic and sourced from our farm. While I do have an American genipa (jagua) tree, it's old and rarely bears fruit, so I purchase the genipa and ginger from the store.
If you don't have these ingredients on hand, don't worry. A great ginger tea can still be prepared using cinnamon, star anise, and ginger.
Do you have any traditional teas for holiday celebrations in your country? I would love to hear about them.
Lemon grass (limoncillo), I love the lemon taste this adds to tea. Tie a bunch of four leaves to make tea.
When using fresh ginger from the local farmer's market, it may not be as clean as supermarket ginger, so be sure to rinse it well before peeling.
Genipa, elderberry flowers, orange leaves, cinnamon, and star anise each contribute not only to the flavor but also to the medicinal benefits of the tea.
Dominican Ginger Tea
Ingredients:
8 cups of water
2 ounces of fresh ginger peeled and sliced
2 sticks of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 fresh elderberry flowers rinsed
12 fresh orange leaves rinsed
1 star anise
a tie of lemongrass (about 4 leave strings)
¼ - ½ of
genipa fruit
honey or sugar to sweeten
Preparation:
1. In a medium pot bring water with ginger to boil.
2. When water begins to boil, add all the remaining ingredients.
3. Let boil for one minute, cover, and remove from heat.
4. Leave covered for 30 minutes to steep. Tea will have a light cinnamon color.
5. Strain and sweeten to taste with honey or sugar. Serve hot.
Notes:
a) When it comes to combating exhaustion, lack of appetite, slow digestion, and flatulence, ginger is highly recommended. In addition, ginger is also believed to have aphrodisiac qualities.
b) For those battling a cold, it's recommended to drink three to four cups of ginger tea daily. Any remaining tea can be stored in the fridge and reheated as needed, with a shelf life of up to two days. However, for the best flavor, fresh tea is preferred.
c) To add a festive twist to your ginger tea, consider adding a chopped unpeeled apple for a holiday-inspired flavor.
I dedicate this post to my mom, who year after year always prepared this delicious and magical tea that cured all my headaches, colds, aches, and pains. My mom is the best!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.~ Galatians 5:22-23.
Keep in touch