Czech roasted tea: A taste of summer in winter's bite

Pečený čaj, or roasted tea, is a popular aromatic drink in the Czech Republic. Seasonal fruits, when still fresh, are roasted and placed in small jars. In the autumn and winter, unscrewing the lid fills the entire room with a delightful summer sweetness.

Pečený čaj can also serve as the base of a beautiful, fruity and aromatic lemonade. It warms you up in the winter and quenches your thirst in the summer. This drink isn't popular here, but in the Czech Republic, you can easily purchase jars of roasted tea. I brought back several flavours from Prague myself, and I'll save some for the winter.

Pečený čaj is a trendy fruit drink in the Czech Republic. Translated to English, pečený čaj means roasted tea. However, don't be misled because this product doesn't contain tea leaves; instead, it has a mixture of roasted fruits (baked with sugar and spices). The mixture is then placed in airtight jars. One teaspoon of these fruits creates a glass of aromatic drink.

The idea is to enjoy the taste of fruits even in the winter, so now, while you have plenty of fresh seasonal fruits on hand, is the best time to prepare roasted tea, or more specifically, a fruit-roasted mixture. The ready mix can be poured with water, but Czech people sometimes add a splash of rum.

Homemade roasted tea. Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of fruits (apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, currants, chokeberries, cherries),
• 100 ml of citrus juice – oranges, lemons, mandarins,
• sugar – enough to cover the fruits,
• spices: cinnamon/cardamom/ginger/cloves/vanilla/anise.

Preparation:

1. Place washed and cleaned fruits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. It's best if the fruits are not too crowded and close together.
3. Pour the citrus juice over the fruits, add your favourite spices, and sprinkle with sugar. Mix well.
4. Put the fruits in the oven and bake at 170°C for 50 minutes, stirring the mixture occasionally.
5. Then, transfer the fruits and the resulting syrup to jars and pasteurise.