Indian tea. History and traditions

The raw material for making tea is the leaves of an evergreen shrub plant. In India, it is grown on special plantations. To grow a tea bush , a warm climate is required, moisture is needed, but water should not stagnate at the roots of the plant. Therefore, plantations are located on mountain slopes in areas with subtropical or tropical climate.

The peoples of South Asia historically regarded the drink as a medicine. Indian tea masala with spices is mentioned in the medical texts of Ayurveda.

Growing and preparing tea in India has a long history. For the first time it is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana" (the poem was written in Sanskrit 750-500 years BC). Later, during the first centuries of the modern chronology, Buddhist monks told about the drink, in particular, Bodhidharma and Gan Lu. In eastern and northern India, it was traditionally used by representatives of only a certain part of society. In those days (before the appearance of the East India Company), Indian tea was not mass produced. Only with the advent of the British for the production of plant raw materials allocated large areas and organized industrial production of various brands and varieties.

In India, mostly black Assamese tea is produced. It is called the state of Assam, the region in which it grows. Black Indian tea, in comparison with Chinese brands, is characterized by a weak aroma and strong taste. Indian producers make their products in granular form or in the form of cut leaves. Green tea in India is produced in small quantities, it is not of high quality and is mainly exported.

The simplest and most traditional way of preparation of a drink is brewing it with steep boiling water and infusion. This is how Indian tea is usually cooked. Depending on the variety and local traditions, the concentration of feedstock, the water temperature and the duration of infusion changes. Until the 19th century in India, as a medicine, only monks used tea. Later, some traditions Indians borrowed from the British. But a mass drink, as in Russia or in England, tea has never been and has not become it now.

India is famous for its rich national traditions regarding this drink. All over the world, Indian tea is known and appreciated. The country mainly uses masala. It is brewed from black varieties and served with milk, sugar and spices: it is necessary with cinnamon, but also add ginger, cardamom and other spices. The cooking technology is somewhat different from the usual and has its own peculiarities: sugar and spices are added to the water, and then only it is boiled. On a glass of drink put 1,5-2 spoons of black Indian tea.

Indian industry currently owns many world brands. It has become one of the most technologically equipped industries in the world. Indian companies have acquired foreign tea production and sales enterprises. These include the world's second-largest producer and distributor of British brands Tetley and Typhoo (the old Typhoo trademark was launched in 1903 in the UK by John Sumner Jr. from Birmingham, England). A number of famous varieties, such as Indian Darjeeling tea, are grown on high-altitude plantations in the Indian Himalayas.

For almost a century, India was the largest tea producer, but recently it was overtaken by China. Now it takes only second place. More than 70% of the products are sold in India itself, but tea consumption per capita in the country remains modest - only 750 grams per year per person. This is due to the high level of poverty and large population.