Tea

Originally cultivated in China, tea (the bush Camellia sinensis) is now grown in many regions of the Subcontinent, notably Assam, west Bengal (around Darjeeling), and Sri Lanka. Tea bushes are kept trimmed to a low height so the leaves can be gathered by pickers standing on the ground (see photograph). The leaves are dried, or fermented and dried, then processed. Starting in the late 1800s, when the British ruled the Subcontinent, the merchants in Calcutta controlled the tea market in the Subcontinent, and they still do, we are told. Assam-style teas are stronger tasting than Bengal types and are generally preferred in the Subcontinent but less valued in other countries. Milder Darjeeling-style teas are largely grown for export. See also chai.