Many people know this tall beautiful plant with bright pink bunches of flowers under the name of Rosebay willowherb, and can seldom recollect its Latin name – Chamerion angustifolium. The name "koporye tea" is harly ever mentioned nowadays. However, it was in Koporye that this drink, once famous both in Russia and abroad, was manifactured.
Here is the story.
It's a well known fact that Chinese tea came into Russian markets only in the 19th century. Before that, different local herbs had been used to make tea and one of them was Rosebay willowherb. Although many liked Chinese tea, not everyone could afford the expensive foreign product so numerous substitutes began to appear. Koporye tea, which was similar to Chinese tea in taste, colour and even appearance, turned out to be the most successful of them all. It was prepared in a special way similar to that used for the usual tea. Most of this tea was produced in Koporye, in the Votic territory, which isn't surprising because Rosebay willowherb is found there in abundance. Hundreds of pounds of this tea, which came to be known as "koporye tea", was sold in Russia and later on exported to England and other European countries. Koporye tea was almost as famous abroad as Chinese silk or Damascus still, and was known by the name "Russian tea". In the 19th century even the U.K., in spite of having access to the vast tea plantations in India, used to buy koporye tea by tens of thousands pounds a year! The tea presented such a strong competition to Indian tea, that world famous East-Indian company specialised on selling the latter, felt threatened by Koporye. They made up a scandal around the way Koporye tea was manufactured that caused the trade with England to collapse and Koporye to become bankrupt. The beginning of the 20th century proved to be so hard for Russia and Votic land politically that everyone seemed to have forgotten about koporye tea altogether.
For a long time the recipe for the famous koporye tea was thought to be lost, although in Votic land it survived up until now so Votic people have the right to call it their own national product. Quite recently, Olga Skoryh (Matveyeva), who lives in Luzhitsy village, picked koporye tea every year. By the way, in Vadya koporye tea as well as the plant itself, is called Irvieina (elk hay).
Rosebay willowherb isn't just used to make tea: similar to cabbage, its young leaves can be boiled, fried, made into soups and salads. Its young sprouts are cooked like asparagus. N. Zamyatina writes in her book "Robinson's kitchen": " only very young sprouts, before their leaves come out and when they look like little palm-trees or paint brushes, are edible. Later on they become tough and bitter." Fresh roots are used as a vegetable and dried are made into flour that can be added to the ordinary flour to make flat breads. Dried roasted roots can be used to make coffee substitute. There is also evidence that alcoholic drinks were made out of the roots. In Kamchatka, Yakutia and Chukotka leaves are added to various dishes as an aromatic herb, or used to make different starters and drinks such as kvas as well as strong vinegar.
Rosebay willowherb is one of the best pollinating plants, second to none, even linden trees. A 2.471 acre field of Rosewood willowherb can produce on average 480-500 kg of honey a season, and in good years up to 1000 kg. Rosebay willowherb honey is greenish in colour, light and clear, mild-tasting and very sweet.
KOPORYE TEA RECIPE.
The way famous koporye tea is prepared is very similar to that of usual tea. The leaves are picked at the beginning of blossoming (July-August) and spread out in a layer 5 cm think on a cloth in the shade where they wilt and dry slightly for about 24 hours.
To cause fermentation the leaves are rolled between the palms of your hands so that they form little rolls. The rolling should continue until the leaves become dark and juicy. To speed up the process you can use a food processer, like Olga Skoryh used to do. After that it should be spread on a cloth in a layer not thicker than 5 cm in a warm place and kept for 6-12 hours (it can be covered with a damp cloth). As the tea matures, the grassy smell is replaced by rich flowery and fruity one.
After the fermentation the tea must be dried. This used to be done in clay pots placed into a Russian stove. Nowadays it can be dried in a conventional oven at about 100C for approximately an hour, being turned constantly. When overdried, it may smell like dry paper. Well dried tea is the same colour as real black tea, but has a richer and stronger aroma. The tea leaves break, but don't turn to dust. When most tea riches this stage, the drying process is over.
The tea should be srored in a dark place and be kept for a month for it to get the best taste. Koporye tea doesn't contain caffein so has a calming effect. It contains a good deal of healing substances and has anti-inflamatory properties.
