Tea

Although second to coffee in commercial importance, tea ranks first as the most popular beverage in the world. The origin of the tea plant and the infusion of dried tea leaves is a bit uncertain. Experts believe that the plant hails from western China. An ancient legend has it that Shen-nung, a famous scholar and philosopher, in making a fire from the branches of the tea plant, accidentally spilled some leaves into the boiling water he was preparing. The flavor proved to be so exhilarating that, in a short time, the preparation became a common habit of the whole empire. The first European record of tea was made by Marco Polo, who wrote of the stimulating beverage and of the many teahouses in China. Tea was introduced to Europe in the sixteenth century by the Dutch East India Company and subsequently became very popular in England. The English implemented new growing areas in the Darjeeling and Assam valleys of northeastern India, which would later become known as the world’s premier tea-growing regions, and on Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), an island that became well known for Lipton Tea, produced by the famous tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton. Another Thomas, with the surname of Twining, also made his fortune in the tea business, having the foresight to realize just how popular the drink was to become. Tea was (and still is) so enjoyed by the English that they developed a meal to go with it. The term tea is used by the British to refer to an elaborate meal in which tea is served along with small cakes, pastries, scones, savory tea sandwiches, and the like. However, high tea (though the term is often misused) simply refers to the midday meal rather than the ornate repast.