Chai time customs

Tea time is observed with great reverence in my household. At fixed hours in the morning, noon and evening I have my tea, preferably in absolute peace and with my favourite sweets or snacks. Delve a little deeper into the history of tea and traditions associated with it, and I promise you will be thrilled to know the varying cultures of tea all over the world.

In China they have loved tea since 2000 BCE. Initially this love was cultivated for the great medicinal values of the plant — its leaves were chewed on, and then later on, it was used for its refreshing qualities. Wikipedia informs us that in the early 9th century, Chinese author Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea, which mainly focuses on the cultivation and preparation of tea. For many centuries China was the only tea exporting country in the world but gradually India and Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, began to give it stiff competition as the soil and climate conditions in the two temperate countries met the requirements for this aromatic beverage.

Japan acquired the tea culture from China and soon Korea picked it up too. In Japan tea was served to priests, monks and royalty in the Buddhist temples. Japan boasts of the elaborate tea ceremony called the Way of Tea, which developed as part of the Japanese culture. Each action in the preparation of tea — how a kettle is used, how tea cups are chosen, how tea leaves are scooped and put in the kettle — is performed in a specific way. Sen Rikyu who lived in Japan in the 16th century is credited with the full development of the Way of Tea. He set forth four principles central to the ceremony — harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity. It is interesting to note that these principles were based on the philosophy that every meeting should be treasured as it can never be reproduced.

Let us now take a trip to 19th century Russia. People there used to drink tea while holding a sugar cube between their teeth in those times. Culinary expert Willliam Pokhlyobkin noted that in Russian society tea has been often consumed in the company of scones, jams and even fruit. Tea was introduced in Russia by the Chinese who brought it with them while travelling for trade via the Great Tea Road which was a part of the Silk Route. I am sure the mention of the harsh winters of Russia sent a chill down your spine as it did mine.

In the United Kingdom, the custom of afternoon tea is credited to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. She conceived the afternoon tea, taken usually between 4 and 5 pm, in order to ward off hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. Gradually with evolving times, tea became an integral part of the cultural life of the people in Britain and Ireland. Tea time in England also came with refined customs like pinkies up.

The porcelain cups that were used during the initial days did not have any handles. So, in order to avoid spills, the cup was to be held by placing the thumb at the front of the cup, index and the two other fingers at the back and the pinkie (little finger) was raised to create a balance ensuring that the hot beverage would not spill.

It is customary in Britain not to use circular motions to stir in the sugar, rather the spoon is placed at the front of the cup and moved back and forth a few times.

There are many more wonderful traditions and stories associated with tea. India too has an interesting tale or two for the next time.

(This post appeared as a column in The New Indian Express on Feb 1, 2013. You can read it here.)