Flax-seed Tea
Ingredients
Directions
Pour boiling water over ground flax-seed in a covered vessel.
Let it sit in a warm place until a mucilage forms.
Keep it covered to prevent it from becoming stringy.
Sweeten and flavor with scalded lemon juice before serving.
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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Ground flax-seed
- Releases a thick, slippery mucilage when steeped in hot water, giving the tea its body.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the tea and balances its mild, earthy flavor.
- Sweetener
- Adds sweetness to offset the tart lemon and the tea's mild flavor.
The step that matters
Keep it covered while the mucilage forms. Ground flax releases its mucilage slowly as it hydrates in hot water. Covering the vessel holds in heat and moisture, which helps the gum form evenly. Letting steam escape or letting the tea cool too early can leave the texture thin or uneven, and stirring too hard can make it stringy.
“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.
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