The Russian immigrants I grew up around would make and enjoy this Cherry Syrup made with whole pie cherries in their hot tea. They used this syrup in place of sugar to sweeten their tea. I called my mother this week to get the following recipe from her to share for The-Sweet-and-Savory-of-Yummy.
This is a very simple recipe for Cherry Varenya. This is a syrup made with Cherries to sweeten hot tea with.
1/2 Cup Water 1 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Whole Sour Cherries (Pie Cherries) 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
You would increase the proportions of this recipe according to how many cherries you have on hand that you want to make into Varenya.
Boil the water and sugar to make a clear simple syrup. When the liquid is clear add your cherries and let it boil for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on how hard the cherries were to begin with) At the end of the boiling add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to help preserve the brightness of the syrup.
You may want to can it at this point. (I don’t know how to can anything so you are on your own here!)
When I was young our family would go to a Cherry Orchard somewhere near Lancaster, California in July when the pie cherries were ready to harvest. It might have been in the Leona Valley. We would pick cherries all day and take home upwards of 40 pounds of cherries. That’s a lot of Varenya. When we picked this much my parents would give about half of the cherries away to other relatives and friends who couldn’t make the trek out to the Cherry Farm. Then it was a full day of preparing the cherries for Varenya. Washing, cooking and canning.
© The Happy Wonderer 2007-2024 – The contents including photographs of this blog are the copyright of the authors and can not be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the authors. Please do not copy unless given permission.
You may want to can it at this point. (I don’t know how to can anything so you are on your own here!)
You would increase the proportions of this recipe according to how many cherries you have on hand that you want to make into Varenya.
1/2 Cup Water 1 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Whole Sour Cherries (Pie Cherries) 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
The Russian immigrants I grew up around would make and enjoy this Cherry Syrup made with whole pie cherries in their hot tea. They used this syrup in place of sugar to sweeten their tea. I called my mother this week to get the following recipe from her to share for The-Sweet-and-Savory-of-Yummy.
© The Happy Wonderer 2007-2024 – The contents including photographs of this blog are the copyright of the authors and can not be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the authors. Please do not copy unless given permission.
Directions: In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, add the sugar to 2 cups water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cherries and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir. Reduce the heat and allow the cherry mixture to simmer until beginning to thicken (about 30 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Allow mixture to cool. Serve alongside hot tea as a sweetener (Russian Style). For an American twist, spoon over ice cream.
There’s a 9 episode story arc in season 6 of Sex and the City, where Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) has a relationship with Russian artist, Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Barishnikov). I don’t remember everything about the story line aside from wishing the writers would somehow create a moment whereas Petrovsky’s character would show old movies of himself to Carrie…when he was a ballet dancer. It didn’t happen. What Petrovsky’s character did do was introduce Western pop culture to Cherry Verenya. While he and Carrie were sharing a romantic late night meal in one particular episode, he introduced her to this wonderful sweet and sour cherry syrup that Russians use to sweeten their tea. I couldn’t tell you what Carrie was wearing or how long the camera held on Petrovsky’s blue eyes, but I never forgot that syrup.
How to drink tea like a Russian
FAQ
Do Russians put cherries in their tea?
How do Russians sweeten tea?
How do they make tea in Russia?
What do Russians eat with tea?
Why do Russians drink black tea?
Russians have been brewing and drinking black tea for centuries with their “tea culture” dating back to the early 1600’s when the first gifts of tea were made to the Tsar and members of the nobility by the Chinese. Tea is in fact the national (non alcoholic) drink and at time of writing Russia is the fifth largest consumer of tea globally.
Can you make cinnamon tea with Assam tea or any black tea?
You can, both have thermogenic properties and the mixture is a good option to take in the morning. But drinking at night will compromise rest and can cause insomnia.
Do Russians love tea?
Russians seriously love tea. There are some similarities between Russian tea-drinking culture and those of other tea-loving nations such as the UK or Ireland – namely, that your run-of-the-mill black teabag can be used as a staple pick-me-up for when you’re working or on the go.