介绍:
Tea and Britain — a Short History
by Freddie Gay
Britons are well known for the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9 kg of tea annually. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all sections of society. But tea does not grow in Britain. The vast majority of tea is grown in China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?
Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At that time Britons were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, it was only available to the richer sections of society.
At the beginning of the 1700s the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased gradually. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank the tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic.
In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At that time they began to have “afternoon tea”. It involved drinking tea with a snack around 4 p.m. to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going on today but has become less popular in recent times.
In the late 1800s, the price of tea decreased sharply as more tea began to arrive on ships from China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms — shops where you could buy and drink tea — started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and socialising in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles became essential in every kitchen.
