Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Chifir'

Chifir' (or just Chifir) is a type of strong tea brewed in Russia. It is often associated with the Gulag system of Stalin era because inmates have been drinking it. Russian writer and historian Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn mentions it in his book The Gulag Archipelago.
Some say that Chifir' has kind of psychoactive effect.
What does the word Chifir' mean? There are opinions that Chifir'comes from the word "chikhir" meaning a strong Cuacasian wine. In Siberia it means wine that has gone off and become sour and acidic.
How to brew it? It is prepared with two or three teaspoons of loose tea per person. It is brewed for 10-15 minutes. It is drunk with sugar and held in mouth.

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