EPICURIOUS: A CUPPA TEA FOR ME
What is one to say about chai — the romance of chai and the subcontinent go way back. The English may have invented tea time but desis of the world embraced it with such warmth that it’s now synonymous with the subcontinent. Many a match made in heaven is affirmed over a cup of chai, best friends are made over a cup of chai, office breaks (like the ones we enjoyed at the Haroon House of the ’90s) turn to lasting friendships over a cup of chai. Needless to say that it is next to impossible to capture and express the relationship of chai with people of the subcontinent. Simply put, it is a beautiful, lasting and passionate relationship like none other.
It may seem untrue but, at the dawn of the 20th century, the people of the subcontinent were mostly unaware of the art of tea-making, let alone drinking a cup of tea. But that changed, and now we, the subcontinentals, know tea better, almost, than the people who introduced it to us.
I was recently in London and thought this time I’d have tea at the Buckingham Palace Cafe. Yes, the very Buckingham Palace the Queen calls her home. I, of course, didn’t have formal tea there (that I’ve done in my earlier trips to London at other facilities) since the Palace Cafe does not offer a tea menu, but I did order tea, sandwiches, scones and pastry for my afternoon tea.
The magic of tea time goes beyond tea and its accompaniments
Sitting in the beautifully picturesque cafe, with the prettiest chairs and tables, and overlooking the lush, thick, endless gardens of the Palace, I couldn’t help but think what a wonderful time of the evening it was, and how an entire industry is based around it. From exquisite tea sets to pastry chefs and tea companies to tea menus, this has to be the most favoured time of the day for many.
However, despite its name and the expensive and uppity industry, high tea (also known as afternoon tea) actually originated with the middle and lower social classes.
Dinner was served at midday in the 1800s but, in practice, the working classes didn’t have the benefit of an afternoon lunch break, so they took tea right after work with heavier plates — like pies, cakes, meats, breads and cheeses — to satiate their hunger, and sustain until supper time later in the night. This tradition and practice travelled to the upper classes, and soon tea became a fashionable beverage for all. The upper crust ladies spent English afternoons sipping tea with cakes and biscuits as a preference to sugary wines that they were earlier used to having. Tea drinking also gave them an opportunity to show off their fine china. Hence teatime was invented.