Thursday, March 11, 2010

What time is Tea Time in Kenya?


Next week, I will be announcing a very exciting partnership with
Lisa Knows Tea and The World in Your Teacup
so stay tuned..... 

Any time and all the time!

Kenya not only grows tea like I stated in my last blog, but they love to drink it too.  The introduction to tea in Kenya was by a European man named G.W. L. Caine in 1903. The tea plants at that time were brought in for ornamental purposes. Some of them are still alive and growing strong to this day. The first tea grown for cultivation and consumption was started in 1918 on a plantation called Kiambethu Farm. Kenya’s growing region has expanded over the years. The Great Rift Valley runs north and south and is just west of Nairobi. Tea grows in what is called the Eastern Rift Valley and the Western Rift Valley. 


Tea in Kenya is made in different ways depending on where you are in Kenya and what tribe or social class you are from. It is served and consumed as a part of showing hospitality to your guest, so to serve tea Kenyan style make plenty and enjoy!  If you want to learn more about Kenya, their tea,  or how you can tour Kiambethu Farm,  please be sure to check out my new book, The World in Your Teacup: Celebrating Tea Traditions Near and Far


As promised from my last blog, here is the yummy recipe you must try. 

SAVOURY HONEY SCONES:



1-1/4 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, divided

1-1/3 cups each flour and semolina

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon each baking powder and coarse salt

6 oz chilled soft goat cheese, crumbled into bits

¼ cup honey

1/2 cup heavy cream, divided

1 egg


Mix 1 teaspoon rosemary with all the other dry ingredients then mix in goat cheese keep aside. Whisk together honey, half the cream and egg. Stir into the dry mixture put aside until a soft dough forms, make into a ball. Put onto floured board, pat into a round about ¾-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange separately on waxed paper or baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining cream and sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Bake at 425 degrees F until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 8 Scones.

Make sure to pair it with some wonderful Kenyan tea for a real treat!

After you try the recipe,
I would love to know what you think.....

Happy Snacking and Sipping!

Remember to check back next week for my announcement!!!!






4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recipe...sounds lovely, will have to give it a try. When do people "technically" eat a savory scone in the course of tea time and tiered trays? We typically serve scones that are sweet.
    Thanks,
    Donna Hardin (IA)

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  2. Thanks for the interesting info on tea in Kenya and the scone recipe. Scones and finger sandwiches are my favorites on the typical tea tray. I don't make many savory scones, but these sound delicious.

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  3. These scones can be served with your sweet scones and/or in place of the sweet scones. I thought they were delicious for breakfast, too-but I maybe a little wierd! The sweet of the honey with the rosemary and goat cheese is very yummy!

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  4. The interesting thing about tea time in Kenya is that as late as 1980 my cook referred to King George and an England that had already transformed. The British colonials came to Africa and for a moment in time, a picture of English culture stood still. Savory scones were always a part of tea culture and I was actually surfing the web looking for a recipe for such.

    The idea of tiered trays is presumptuous in comparison to the simplicity of both the English and indigenous Kenyans- at yet tea time in Kenya has always had the class seen in the movie Out of Africa because the British took the naturalness of their culture with themselves to the colonies even when they lived in the "bush"

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