Page 67 - @ccess 2 Reader´s Book
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kettle
            First, you fill the samovar—a very large and          Glossary on
            elaborately decorated electric kettle (which          page 92
            originally was fueled by wood coals and
            kindling) with water and let it boil. Second, you take
            a small teapot painted with flowers or roosters or ballet
            dancers and put a generous portion of loose black tea
            leaves in it and pour hot water from the samovar to fill the
            pot to the brim. And then you place the pot on top of the
            samovar, on a special little pedestal, just like a
                                                                  brim (n.):
            star on top of a Christmas tree.                      borde
                                                                  steam
                                                                  (n.): vapor
            The steam from the samovar escapes from
                             right underneath the teapot and keeps
                                the black tea in it warm. Keep in mind
                                 that the tea in the pot is concentrated
                                 and very, very strong. You do not drink
                                    it straight (in Russian, there is a
                                       special term for this concentrate.
                                        It is not tea (“chai” in Russian),
                                        but “zavarka,” which can be
                                       literally translated as “brew”).
                                       Every time you want a fresh
                                          cup of tea, you add a bit of
                                              “zavarka” to your cup, and
                                              then add some hot water
                                                from the samovar. In
                                                  the region where
                                                   I was raised, a
                                                   republic populated
                                                   by ethnic Tatars, it is
                                                 customary to add milk
                                    to one’s tea (a friend used to joke
                                    that she would marry either a Tatar
                                    or an Englishmen, because both
                                    would know that
                                 tea should be drunk with milk).





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