Tea-making, Aussie style - "Swinging the Billycan"
When you're camping out in the Australian bush, or travelling around experiencing the wonders of this wide brown land of ours, there's nothing better than a hot mug of authentic Aussie billy tea to start and end your day with. Here's how to make it .....
What you need
* Tea (preferably Australian grown)
* Sugar as needed
* Milk as needed
* Water
* Billy Can - make your own or buy one
* Forked stick
* Coals from the campfire
* Gum leaves from a nearby gum tree
What you do
Fill a billycan with water, drag some coals out of the campfire and put the billy on. When boiling, throw in a fistful or two of tea leaves and a few gum leaves from any nearby gum tree. Leave on heat for another minute then pull away from coals using the forked stick on the handle to lift.
Now comes the tricky bit ......
Grab billy handle with rag or other suitable insulator and swing quickly around in a full circle three times bringing it back up past your knee then back over your shoulder and so completing a full circle each time. The reason for doing this is to sink the tea leaves to the bottom of the pot so you can pour a drink without filling the cup with tea leaves.
However if you just tap the side of the billycan sharply with a stick a few times then let it sit for a minute or two you'll still be able to pour a good cuppa without risking life and limb (but it doesn't look anywhere near as impressive!). You could also use a tea strainer, but that is SO not Aussie bushman style!
Finally .... pour tea carefully into mugs (preferably tin mugs), add milk and sugar to taste and enjoy!!
