Name: Linseed Tea
Ingredients: one tablespoonful of linseed into a stewpan; a pint of cold water; a pint of fresh cold water

Linseed Tea

Linseed tea is a beverage made by boiling linseed with water, then seasoning with lemon and sugar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription

Linseed Tea

Ingredients

one tablespoonful of linseed into a stewpan
a pint of cold water
a pint of fresh cold water

Directions

Soak the linseed

Put one tablespoonful of linseed into a stewpan with half a pint of cold water.
Place the stewpan over a moderate fire.
When the water is quite warm, pour it off.

Boil and season

Add half a pint of fresh cold water to the linseed.
Let the whole boil three or four minutes.
Season it with lemon and sugar.

By F. L. Gillette and Hugo Ziemann. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Linseed: Releases a soothing mucilage into the water, giving the tea a light body and slight thickness.
Sugar (in the method): Adds sweetness to balance the tartness of the lemon.
Lemon (in the method): Adds acidity and a bright aroma to the finished tea.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.