HISTORY OF TEA 

Tea today is perceived as the quintessential British drink, but it has a long and complex history; its roots are deeply tied to ancient Chinese culture.

How tea was discovered

It is difficult to tell who invented tea or where and how the first cup of tea came to be brewed. Legend has it that the

discovery of tea was made when Emperor Shen Nung of China came across the Camellia sinensis plant back in 2737BC; a few leaves stirred by the wind fell into a pot of boiling water as his troops took refuge under the tree, giving the world its first taste of tea. Others claim that tea originated in 1500 BC–1046 BC in China and was discovered by the Shang Dynasty as a medicated drink. There are other gruesome tales that tell of the origin of tea; the founder of Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma, accidentally fell asleep for nine years and woke up in such disgust that he decided to cut off his own eyelids. It’s believed that these took roots in the ground and grew to become the first tea bushes. Whether or not these legends have any real facts attached to them can never be decoded, but the fact of the matter is that tea has played a significant role in Asian culture for centuries and become a staple beverage. It is not just a curative but also a status symbol, and it comes as no surprise that its popularity spread to the world over the years.

The Origins of Tea

The widespread use of tea became evident in 206-220 AD by the Chinese Han Dynasty, but tea had been a part of Chinese culture long before that. Let’s learn more about the evolution of tea.

An overview of tea’s evolutionary journey within China:

Tea is believed to be discovered sometime between 30th century BC and 21st century BC. It was initially used as medicine in ancient China, where people chewed on fresh leaves for their refreshing and invigorating effect before they learned to brew it in water to make a drink out of it.

By 722 BC – 221 BC, the Chinese started to brew the leaves, adding to the concoction other ingredients like ginger, tangerine peel, scallion, and cornel. Tea became a part of their food, and the Lei Cha of Tu Jia is evidence of this. This concoction was mixed with rice and eaten as a meal, rather than enjoyed like a beverage.

It was only between 202 BC and 220 AD that tea evolved as a beverage in China, offered as a refreshing drink to officials and noble lords. By then varieties of tea had been discovered, and rare kinds were brought to emperors as gifts because it was a coveted trade object. It is also during this period that trading of tea became a commercial activity.

In the years that followed, between 420 and 589 BC, tea drinking became popular as a Chinese tradition. Its consumption increased rapidly, and methods for cultivating tea started to be explored to keep up with demands.

In Lu Yu’s Cha Jing’s time, tea cultivation became prosperous. In the years between 618 and 907 BC, the Tang Dynasty planted several tea trees all over the country and Japanese monks traveled back to their own countries with a few seeds. From here on, tea left the Chinese soils for the first time and was introduced to Japan.

Years 960 – 1279 BC saw more development, as varieties of scented tea were explored in Wu Yi Tea from Fujian Province in China.

Between the years of 1271 – 1368 BC, there was a remarkable development in tea crafting methods. Machine made tea was tried out, though the commoners still used loose tea for their drinking practices. Tea Cakes and Tuocha were still popular as tribute given to royal and noble Lords in exchange for favours, as these were still indulgent items that were also the best in quality.

It was during the Ming dynasty that the concept of roasting tea leaves came into being. Years between 1368 and 1644 as the time that the leaves were made into strips and cakes were replaced with loose tea leaves to make drinks.

When the Qing dynasty ruled China in the years from 1636 – 1911, tea had become a staple and various species like the yellow tea, oolong tea, green tea, white tea, dark tea, flower tea, black tea and more had become quite popular. As the export of tea became popular, tea brought foreign trade to Chinese shores and became a popular drink.

Tea’s revolutionary journey across continents

By the end of the 3rd century AD, tea had become China’s number one beverage. By 8th century AD Chinese were already trading tea to Tibet, the Arabs, the Turks, to the nomadic tribes of the Indian Himalayas, and also along the “silk road” into India. It was not until the 16th century that tea reached European soils, and it was only in the 17th century that the British were introduced to tea.

It is during these globetrotting travels that tea underwent another change. The delicate leaves of tea suffered great damage on their long voyage from China to Europe, and profit-conscious tea producers had to look into other means to make the leaves retain their freshness and potency. They took to researching more sophisticated means of manufacturing, packaging and even transportation so that they could get their exports to their destination in good condition. What was being made and exported thus far was the green tea, which was delicate and definitely unsuited for a long journey by sea. This led to the birth of black tea.

From green to black tea was less about performing a miracle but more science. All tea – green, black, white, oolong, puerh and yellow tea, come from the same plant – Camellia sinensis that’s native to China! The various types are made possible from the methods used to cultivate and process these leaves.

This is why, when Europeans found that green tea didn’t reach them in an expected condition, they took to oxidizing the leaves naturally before drying them to help retain the freshness a little longer. This gave a darker color to the brew and became known as Black Tea, the most popular type of tea in the world. And while the Chinese still love their tea green (comes as no surprise considering how healthy they are as a nation), the Europeans became the connoisseurs of black tea.

RECIPIE OF THE DAY
MICROWAVE BESAN LADOO

INGRETIENTS

·         1 cup Besan / Chickpea Flour

·         3/4 cup Powdered Sugar

·         6 tbsp Ghee (melted)

·         1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

·         Almonds for garnish

METHOD

·         In a microwave safe bowl, add the besan and ghee and combine very well.

·         Microwave on high (mine is 800 W) for 3 minutes, stirring after every 1 minute.

• Reduce the power to 50% and microwave for another 2 – 3 minutes, stirring every minute.
• If you feel besan is raw microwave for one more minute.
• Remove and let it cool completely.
• Once cooled, add the cardamom powder and sugar powder.
• Combine well with your hands for a few minutes.
• Take a small portion of the mixture and roll into a round shape ball.
• If you are not able to shape it, add some warm ghee till the mixture is able to bind together.
• Store them in an airtight container.

                                                                                                              

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