On the Indian subcontinent, chai ("tea") is not traditionally a beverage of tea bags doused with water and milk and possibly sweetened. Classic North Indian chai encourages customized gustatory and sensory experiences of the hot, loose-leaf beverage via preferential selections of spices.
There is no standard recipe for masala chai ("spice tea"). The spice mixture varies by many factors, such as by region, by family, by occasion, by purveyor.
The abundance of chai wallahs and wallis (male and female roadside and street tea beverage vendors) evinces the popularity of masala chai throughout the Indian subcontinent. Businesses receive tea beverage deliveries in iconic chaidaans (metal- or wooden-framed cup carriers).
.jpg "chai in a glass mug; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE); Friday, May 20, 2011, 04:52")
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Comments
katiem2, Thank you for the surprise visit. It's always pleasant to be visited by you and to hope that you'll have another one of your educationally entertaining, entertainingly educational posts.
Like both grandmothers and like my father, I appreciate a good cup of chicory or coffee. But chai is something that my family also passed down to me and that my sister Stessily perfects, from the family recipe and from having been there, knowing India like the back of her (left, writing) hand ;-D.
Perfect time of year for a warm delicious cup of Indian Chai. :) Thank YOU!
frankbeswick, I agree with you about pateluday's insight of tea added to milk.
Also, your input on tea's designation sometimes as char and char's chai etymology is indeed interesting.
Milk would be linked with the importance of cows in India. We had always thought that milk was added to tea; your suggestion that tea was added to milk is insightful.
Tea is sometimes known as char in Britain. Obviously, this word derives from the word chai.
Veronica, Your water-milk proportions of 4-to-1 (8 ounces water to 2 ounces milk) mirror my UK-style of tea. As with you, I favor a black tea blend. In the evening, I sometimes like to experiment with herbal tea varieties.
pateluday, Thank you for your insights. As you point out, who borrowed from whom is anybody's guess. Both countries, nevertheless, display admirable appreciations of tea.
Before British popularized tea in India, the standard breakfast drink was milk. Probably Indians started add milk in their chai because of this habit or borrowed it from the British it is anybody's guess.
Derdriu
I cannot start the day without 2 cups of our tea.. I have just checked in my kitchen . In a 10 Fluid Ounce cup of tea, my proportions are 2 fl ozs of milk the rest is tea . In our house we have a black tea blend.
Veronica, Thank you for your gracious comments. The water-to-milk proportions vary, according to preference, but, no matter the proportions, the taste is still enjoyable.
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LPerry, Almond milk and organic honey enhance North Indian spiced tea's smoothness, and their delicious healthiness is another plus.