A Baratsky Tea-Drinking

             A Baratsky Tea Drinking

   Our horses having swam the river, we
went into one of the Buratsky tents, till
they were dried. The hospital land-lady 
Immediately set her kettle on the fire, to
make tea; the extraordinary cookery of
which I cannot omit describing. After
placing a large iron kettle over the fire, 
she took care to wipe it very clean with a
horse’s tail, that hung in a corner of the 
tent for that purpose; then the water
was put into it, and soon after, some
coarse Bohea tea, which is got from Chi-
na, and a little salt. When near boiling, 
she took a large brass laddle and tossed
the tea, till the liquor turned very brown.
It was now taken of the fire, and after
subsiding a little, was poured clear into
another vessel. The kettle being wiped 
clean with the horse’s tail, as before,
was again set upon the fire. The mistress
now prepared a paste, of meal and fresh
butter, that hung in a skin near the
horse’s tail, which was put into the kettle
and fried. Upon this best the tea was a-
gain poured; to which was added some
good thick cream, taken out of a clean
sheep’s skin, which hung upon a peg a-
mong the other things. The ladle was
again employed, for the space of six mi-
nutes, when the tea, being removed from
the fire, was allowed to stand a while in
order to cool. The landlady now took
some wooden cups, which held about
half a pint each, and served her tea to
all the company. The principal advan-
tage of this tea is, that it both satisfies
hunger and quenches thirst. I thought it 
not disagreeable; but should have liked
it better had it been prepared in a man-
ner a little more cleanly. Our bountiful
hostest, however, gave us a hearty wel-
come; and, as these people know not the
use of money, there was nothing to pay
for our entertainment. We only made her
a present of a little tabacco to smoak, of
which these people are very fond. I have
given this receipt with a view that some
American ladies may improve upon it.