A couple of years back, I was in South Carolina for a week. During that time, I kept noticing on menus this beverage called, "sweet tea." Now, in the North, we just have hot tea and iced tea. Well, there's long island iced teas too, but that's another post! Finally, the day before we were to go back home, I asked a waitress at Applebee's, "what is sweet tea?" She looked at me like I was from Mars and said, "are you messin' with me?" I replied, "no, I'm not from around these parts; I'd just like to know exactly what sweet tea is - is it just tea with some sugar mixed in?" Well, she went on and on that NO, sweet tea was NOT just plain old tea with sugar. It was something much better than that. And she ran back to the kitchen to get me some, and also to tell the entire crew at Applebee's that she had a customer who had never had sweet tea before (she kindly pointed me out numerous times to the staff and to her other customers). I got my sweet tea, and I must admit, it was quite tasty and refreshing. However, I never did find out exactly how sweet tea is made.
As time passed, I forgot about sweet tea. Until today, driving by a local McDonald's..........lo' and behold, the sign out front read, "Large Sweet Tea $1" Sweet tea has crossed the border and is now being served to us Yankees. Can't wait to try some again. But I'd still like to know what it is!
As time passed, I forgot about sweet tea. Until today, driving by a local McDonald's..........lo' and behold, the sign out front read, "Large Sweet Tea $1" Sweet tea has crossed the border and is now being served to us Yankees. Can't wait to try some again. But I'd still like to know what it is!
Did somebody page a Southern girl?
ReplyDeleteHere I am! (grin)
Please! Let me fill you in. I actually wrote about this a few months ago telling a friend of mine who is English how our kind of tea differs from their kind of tea.
I'll tell you what I told them. Southern iced tea! known here as sweet tea. as in, "hon, did you want sweet or unsweet?" when you order tea in a southern barbeque joint. To make sweet tea, you buy Luzianne tea from Louisiana. You boil a full 4 quart pan of water, add 1 big or 4 small bags of Luzianne, and 1 cup of sugar. You must add the sugar when it is hot and let the tea steep a long time. Stir till the sugar dissolves. pour tea in a pitcher and chill in the fridge. If you don't have time to chill, pour the warm tea into glasses that are full of ice cubes. Serve with big wedges of fresh lemon. This is kind of tea you use to wash down spicy Cajun food like fried crawfish or catfish or shrimp.
And no, making it with Splenda does not taste the same. There's some kinda magic with the boiling water and Luzianne tea and sugar all meeting up at the same time and hanging out and making friends during the long steep. oh and the fresh lemon is a must-have. But dont put the lemon in the water when hot. If you do, too much of the lemon oil will come out and you dont' want lemon oil in your tea, you want lemon juice.
Now that's just the info I was looking for Sensuous Wife! And I'm betting that Mickey D's is not using Luzianne tea! I'll have to look around and see if I can find that tea around here and make some here at home. Thank you so much for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteNoooooooooo, use LIPTON!!! lol
ReplyDeleteLB, you crack me up! Yeah, I'm too lazy to ever brew tea anyway. I've got my Snapple peach tea and that keeps me happy.
ReplyDelete