Drinking tea is a timeless tradition and one of our most healthful ones
Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one." (Ancient Chinese Proverb) According to ancient Chinese legend, tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C.E., when leaves from a wild tea bush fell into a pot of his drinking water as it was being boiled. The emperor enjoyed the flavor of his newly derived brew and thus the world's first cup of tea was made. In 1904, an English tea merchant placed several small samples of his tea in silk bags.
His customers soon found this a simple and convenient way of brewing one cup of tea at a time. Later, thanks to American know-how and our penchant for rushing things, instant tea was created. But true tea fanciers, who believe the drink was meant to be brewed slowly and enjoyed leisurely, frown on this quick version. As far back as I can remember, the tea ritual has held a pleasant memory for me. As a little girl, I hosted countless tea parties served ever-so-royally from a miniature teapot filled to the brim with imaginary tea.
The hot afternoon sun served as a magical oven transforming dirt and water into delectable tea cakes. I served my fanciful tea to Dad, who playfully "sampled" each and every cup. And proudly served my mud-pie cakes to Mom, who somehow always found time to join me for my fanciful tea parties.
I felt a special pride each time my two favorite guests savored a cup of my make-believe tea and whimsical mud pies. For most women, the ritual of the afternoon tea party is rooted deeply and pleasantly into our earliest childhood memories. Whether made of tin, fine china or plastic, the miniature tea set is among every little girl's most coveted of toys. Today, only one small china cup survives from my original childhood tea set.
Painted on its backside are the words "Made in occupied Japan," bearing evidence of its date and place in time. But tea-time wasn't just for us kids. Grownups enjoyed it, too. There was never a time, to memory, that the family home wasn't warmed by the routine whistle of Grandma's blustering tea kettle. Grandma's medicinal teas were regularly brewed in the winter as a ready source of cures for her family's minor aches, pains and sniffles.
Family members gathered nightly in the warmth of Grandma's kitchen, for a hot cup of her remarkable herbal teas. They say we can't go home again or recapture our lost youth, but sometimes, on those cold wintry nights, when I place that old kettle on to boil and steam bellows from its spout, the sound of its steady whistle brings me back to the warmth of Grandma's kitchen--loving smiles, tender hugs and happy times when family members huddled around the kitchen table together, exchanging small talk while waiting for the kettle to boil.
Unlike the caffeine jolt obtained from that first cup of morning coffee, tea is enjoyed for its soothing, relaxing effects. Sipped slowly from a graceful china cup or gulped from an old familiar mug, elegantly served from a silver tea service or poured from Granny's worn-out kettle, the soothing cup of hot tea remains one of the world's favorite beverages. The natural herb teas, once blended by Grandma, have been resurrected by today's tea manufacturers.
Popular tea maker Celestial Seasonings offers the consumer a relaxing variety of herbal mixtures and blends. Even its packaging encourages serenity with tender verse and touching poetry. A pleasant scene decorates each package, suggesting to the tea drinker a feeling of peacefulness and serenity. Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.
For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful: cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection, impaired immune function. I'm happy to see the return of this quaint and most timeless of our traditions, the drinking of herbal tea.
And to think it all happened centuries ago, when a wind-blown leaf drifted into a pot of boiling water. To Be Taken With Tea (A SCONE RECIPE) The extensive array of sweet cakes and sandwiches served with the English tea prompted this quote from writer Alice Walker: "Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors." Gaining popularity among American tea drinkers, the English tea scone has become a common accompaniment to the afternoon tea.
This old family recipe makes about 12 scones. 4 1/2 Tbsp. butter 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt 2 eggs plus one yoke 1/3 c. of milk 5 1/2 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. cream of tartar Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour and salt. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the sugar, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix well. Beat the eggs with the milk and add to the flour, using a wooden spoon, to make a spongy mixture.
Place the dough on a well-floured board and pat it out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut dough into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Flour your hands and place the rounds on a nonstick cookie sheet and leave for 10 minutes to settle. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Serve with butter, cream or jam.
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