A recipe for Christmas in July
Christmas in July is a southern hemisphere spin-off of the Christian holiday that has European Yule traditions as its roots. It’s also a perfect time to make Christmas tea, suggests Adeline Teoh.
For years my dad and I had a very straightforward gift-giving relationship. I would get him tickets to the cricket in January and he would get me an item symbolising my hobby du jour – one year a fancy chess board, another a set of poker chips and cards – or simply whatever he could lay his hands on in the pre-Christmas rush.
One year I received a set of embroidered towels and a tin of special edition Twinings Christmas Tea. In the following Christmases – before I learnt about the deterioration of poorly stored tea – this tin would emerge at the same time as the pudding and guests would remark, “wow, it really does taste like Christmas”.
It should only take one sweltering hot Christmas lunch after slaving over a roast turkey all morning to convince you that many food traditions we inherited from Europe just don’t make sense in an Australian summer. Christmas in July* therefore gives us a chance to indulge in a rich feast without the subsequent indigestion caused by minor heat exhaustion and sweat-powered metabolic overload.
Christmas tea is no different. Full of winter fruit and warming spices, it’s really not all that suitable for a summer Yuletide. Park yourself next to a log fire and get your hands around this spiced brew, however, and suddenly the winter wonderland images all make sense. The secret ingredients? According to Twinings, Christmas tastes like black tea, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves.
But if you must insist on a special Christmas tea for a December celebration, why not make a cold-brew version? Tea is, after all, a versatile beverage that’s suitable for all seasons, festive or not, and we should drink to that.
*25 July; ironically, Christmas in July has Northern Hemisphere origins.
(Image credit: www.adelightsomelife.com)
