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    Home ยป Drinks ยป Hot Beverage

    Tea - Everything stops for Tea

    Published: Sep 25, 2013 ยท by Nisha

    There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. ~Bernard-Paul Heroux
    Oh! That is so true. A heart ache or a dull weather nothing can soothe you like a hot cuppa. I cannot start my mornings without a cup of tea. It is a wonder that I am addicted to this warm mellow  aromatic beverage. Till college, I used to drink Kanji (Health mix drink) in the mornings. My paternal grandpa who took to heart a saint's word that caffeine is not good spiritually and health wise stopped having tea and coffee. So did my dad and my uncles and then we followed suite. But my mom's love and care poured health drinks were not going to be served outside. So I had to pick one of the commonly available beverage, either coffee or tea. Fortunately or not, till date I am not able to sip an ounce of coffee and anything related to cocoa and is bitter. So tea became my drink post school days and my favourite. I have always wondered about its history and the term High Tea. All I knew was, it is Brit's most popular drink. One evening of a cup of cardamom spiced tea led me to this. Hope you enjoy!

    Every nation in creation has its favourite drink
    France is famous for its wine, it's beer in Germany
    Turkey has its coffee and they serve it blacker than ink
    Russians go for vodka and England loves its tea


    Oh, a lawyer in the courtroom
    In the middle of an alimony plea
    Has to stop and help 'em pour when the clock strikes four
    Everything stops for tea


    There is no quintessential ritual and ceremony in Britain than serving a tea.  It is so evident from this song (listen to the lyrics) that it is a part and parcel of their life. So how did this drink become the Brit & Irish's national drink ? Tea was imported to Europe by the Portuguese and the Dutch in the 17th century. But the actual tea custom that is world popular, "Afternoon Tea" came into practice in the early 19th century. It all started with a lovely Duchess princess Anaa in the early 19th century. It seems that the princess was not able to withstand her hunger until dinner which was usually served between 8 & 9 Pm. So to starve off hunger and bridge the gap between her meals, she used to ask the maids to prepare tea and cakes and breads and enjoy them in her boudoir. Later on, she invited her friends to her home to enjoy this simple feast. She followed this even when she returned to London. This was loved by everyone and it caught on like wild fire throughout.

    Afternoonteahistory2
    Courtesy Afternoon Tea 

    This was a very entertaining routine for dilly dallying and ideal for housewives to indulge in gossips with a warm cup and goodies. Who would say no to that ? Slowly as years passed, at home indulgence spread outside and tea rooms and tea garden became more popular. Tea rooms are small restaurants that serve tea and light refreshments. It became a mark of social culture and a fashionable statement for the high class and was practised at every rich household. The now common tea was once a luxurious item. Traditionally, tea pots and tea accessories were passed down generations. It was treasured. It was something that only the higher hierarchy of the society could enjoy.

    Courtesy Afternoon Tea 

                   
    But for the working class, the luxury of enjoying a long relaxing sip in between the work hours is just not possible. So High tea was served instead. After work, people had a  early dinner, in the present day terms supper.  A light meal accompanied with lashing of tea serving was enjoyed late in the evening.

    Hightea
    Courtesy Afternoon Tea 

    It was called the High tea because it was served at table as opposed to the Afternoon tea that was served in the sitting room in comfortable sofas and chairs. The tradition seems dated and quaint today, but its relevance as an aspect of popular culture is an important part of why it became a traditional part of drinking tea.  But now in the rest of the world the traditional English tea is called as High tea and even the restaurants in London advertise as High Tea to attract the tourists.

    This recipe is for letter "T" under "Misc" theme.  Check out other BM #32 Marathon runners' posts here in this page.  

    Logo courtesy : Preeti

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gayathri Kumar says

      November 04, 2013 at 5:39 am

      Very interesting tea facts Nisha...

      Reply
    2. Archana Potdar says

      October 20, 2013 at 12:16 pm

      Tea well I cannot function without it. I heard the lyrics they ar ebeautiful. Thanks. Now I will stop for T

      Reply
    3. Rajani S says

      October 12, 2013 at 9:24 am

      For me, everything stops at four, for that's the time for tea! Nice to know so much about tea ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    4. Pavani N says

      October 09, 2013 at 1:46 am

      Lovely post Nisha -- very well researched and written. I don't drink often, but can never say 'no' to a good cup of tea when offered ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    5. veena krishnakumar says

      October 07, 2013 at 5:58 am

      Beautifully written post!!

      Reply
    6. Preeti Garg says

      October 01, 2013 at 6:06 pm

      Lovely post and love the way you present;.

      Reply
    7. Padmajha PJ says

      September 28, 2013 at 10:09 am

      Beautifully written post and loved thosepiics:)

      Reply
    8. vaishali sabnani says

      September 25, 2013 at 2:15 pm

      Interesting read....and love these English pics:)

      Reply
    9. Nivedhanams Sowmya says

      September 25, 2013 at 10:08 am

      Nice explanation for High tea vs afternoon tea... learnt something today!!

      Sowmya

      Reply
    10. Pallavi Purani says

      September 25, 2013 at 9:10 am

      So interesting to read so many facts. Whoa is the word ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    11. Priya Suresh says

      September 25, 2013 at 6:52 am

      Wat a beautiful post about tea, loved reading and glad to know more about my favourite beverage.

      Reply
    12. Srivalli says

      September 25, 2013 at 5:17 am

      That's a wonderful post Nisha..very nice reading about High tea and the practice that led to this..I mostly prefer coffee and can't take so much tea..still I can understand how the concept must have caught on!

      Reply
    13. Sapana Behl says

      September 25, 2013 at 3:43 am

      This is one wonderful post about tea ! Thanks for sharing...

      Reply
    14. Manjula Bharath says

      September 25, 2013 at 2:39 am

      wow thats a fabulous post on tea dear ๐Ÿ™‚ You write so well !! a very elaborate post on how tea was enjoyed in early periods ๐Ÿ™‚ I wud love to take a sip of the high tea after reading this wonderful post !!

      Reply

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    About Nisha

    Nisha freelances as a food & product photographer/recipe developer & content creator in the F&B space.

    She loves everything about food and their stories! You can find her mostly in the kitchen trying to whip up something or reading culinary anecdotes.

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