“Tea isn’t vodka, you can drink all that you want”… that’s the old folk wisdom anyway. The Russians, not the English, are the tea-drinking champions of Europe. Russians always seem to have a “brew up” and never seem to be without a teacup at hand. Most Russians prefer their tea sweet and without milk, and I’m no exception to that. We like our tea hot, strong, and sweet… just as we like our men to be!
BMD
I got this from a former co-worker who’s from Singapore…
1 Tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 Cup water
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (in place of the native palm sugar)
1 Tablespoon grated ginger root (or to taste)
1 crushed clove garlic
1/2 Teaspoon garam masala (or to taste)
crushed hot pepper flakes (to taste)
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, simmer over low heat for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and syrupy. Let cool before using… this is a good keeper, refrigerated.
Use tamarind juice concentrate… not powdered tamarind or tamarind pulp. The first is deadbeat in flavour; the other is just a pain-in-the-ass to use.
BMD
Russia is home to historic wineries although few bottles end up on tables in the west. However, with exports beginning to flow out, there’s an increasing chance that people in the wider world will come to know and love Russian wine as much as many locals do.
Among the most storied wineries in Russia is Massandra in the Crimean city of Yalta on the Black Sea. Knyaz Lev Golitsyn first opened the winery in 1894. Like much private property in Russia, the Soviets nationalised the winery. However, unlike many wine producers in the USSR, the Massandra vineyards remained open even during Gorbachyov’s war on drinking in the late 1980s. Today, Massandra looks to export more wine in spite of threats from the Ukrainian régime, who whine about everything from a recent auction of Massandra’s valuable vintage bottles to the fact the winery still operates. However, that didn’t stop President Putin and his friend former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from sharing a bottle of wine said to be worth 90,000 USD (5.1 million Roubles. 613,000 Renminbi. 5.8 million INR. 122,000 CAD. 121,000 AUD. 80,000 Euros. 70,000 UK Pounds).
Recently, the Alma Valley Winery, a younger Crimean winery, won top awards at an Italian wine festival. Crimean wine country is a popular destination for people throughout Russia. You can book a visit to Massandra by visiting their website or getting in touch on +7 (3654) 35-24-38 or office@massandra.su. To visit the Alma Valley Winery, contact them via their website or ring them up on +7 36554–9–19–79. Alternatively, you can send them an email at, office@alma-valley.ru.
4 June 2017
Russia Feed
Voices from Russia 
Great Achievement of the Junta in Kherson Oblast!
Tags: Aleksei Zhuravko, Cooking, Food, Food and cuisine, Kherson Oblast, new world record, political commentary, politics, Russia, Russian, Russian food, salo (pork fatback), sandwich, Ukraine, world record
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Dear Friends!
They made the world’s largest buterbrod* with salo in Kherson. Today, all of Kherson is proud of its achievement; this is a real breakthrough on the international scene. After all, what did it matter that Kherson once had some of the largest factories on the post-Soviet space or even in Europe? Right now, these factories stand idle and stripped. After the 2014 coup, the junta forced many businesses to end economic ties with Russia, so, they closed down. In 2014-15, industrial production fell to about 15 percent of its previous level in Kherson Oblast. Today, factories in Kherson Oblast that employed thousands have no new orders and slowly fall into disrepair and ruin. However, don’t despair! The leadership, together with the people of the once-glorious city of Kherson, just made the largest buterbrod with salo in the world!
In Respect,
Aleksei Zhuravko
6 June 2017
Aleksei Zhuravko
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