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Beverage: Flaming Tea - pareve

Posted by : Beth Greenfeld

I just read this, this morning, in "The Jewish Festival Cookbook." I got
this paperback for, I think, thirty cents in a used bookstore, and it's
got all kinds of interesting stuff:

"In old Russia symbols embodying the use of light for the Festival of
Chanukah were very popular, and none more so than Flaming Tea. There was
quite a bit of drama in this ceremony.

"Well in advance of serving the Flaming Tea, great cones of sugar were
broken into pieces.  These were piled high on a dish. Then tall glasses
of tea, poured from a samovar, were passed around, each with a pony of
brandy and a generous lump of sugar.  Each person would dip his sugar
into the brandy, then place it on a teaspoon held over the glass. Lights
were then turned out as a lighted taper was passed among the guests to
light the brandy-dipped sugar.  As the glow spread from one to another,
songs were sung and then all together the flaming cubes were dropped
into the waiting glasses."

Beth.

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