The tea table: from lemon to preserves
In Azerbaijan, tea is not a drink but a table. No guest leaves without it, and no conversation begins without it.
When a guest arrives, tea is the first thing offered. It speaks of the host's respect and of the time set aside for the visitor. The tea is freshly brewed, hot and strong, and almost always black.
Lemon and sugar
A traditional table always holds slices of lemon and lump sugar. Many prefer to take a bite of sugar and then a sip of tea, so the tea itself stays pure and the sweetness arrives with each sip.
An old legend tells that rulers once dipped sugar into their tea to test it for poison. Legend it remains, but sugar and tea have stayed an inseparable pair.
Mürəbbə: preserves of every fruit
Azerbaijani mürəbbə is an art of its own. Alongside peach, apricot, white cherry, cornelian cherry, mulberry and quince, preserves are made from green walnuts and even aubergine. Mürəbbə is usually not stirred into the tea but taken from a small spoon, in turn with each sip.
Sweets, dried fruit and nuts complete the table. In some regions, cinnamon, ginger or thyme is added to the tea.
The meaning of sweet tea
Tea is present at the important moments of family life too. It is said that when matchmakers finish their visit, the tea brought out is the answer itself: if it comes sweetened, the families have agreed.
At LABLABI
Our tea table is laid with respect for this tradition: tea in an armudu glass, lemon, a wide selection of preserves, and nut mixes to accompany the tea. A table to be enjoyed at your own pace.
