Classic Past-Times: The Ritual of Tea

Tea has been a ritual enjoyed not only by the British, but also the Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Argentinians, Indians, Uruguayans, Australians, and Americans amongst others. In each of these cultures, 'tea' is a ritual based around not only the drinking of tea (in whatever form it may take) but also in enjoying a few snacks, relaxing and at times socialising. Taking the time to brew the tea can be a lengthy, elaborate step, such as in Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies, or it can be as simple as pre-heating the teapot with hot water before adding the tea to brew. Common to all cultures is time. Taking the time to sit, rest and enjoy tea is the beauty behind the ritual. It is something that we can all make time for in our daily lives, to help us slow down and savour a simple, classical life. Sharing tea with others is a perfect symbol of hospitality and permeates many of the motivations behind the ritual and is reflected in many British classic novels. 

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, describes the upholding of the traditional afternoon tea even by those citizens of Cranford of meagre means. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier has many beautiful descriptions of afternoon tea and its relationship to hospitality. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, tea is very much a social engagement, with tea often being incorporated with games of cards. It crops up in countless other novels as well, as either a ritual daily tended to by the occupants of the house or as a pretext for inviting guests round. In Australia literature, the image of sitting around a campfire with a billy of tea boiling is a very heartwarming and iconic one, made famous by Banjo Paterson's Waltzing Matilda.

In traditional British culture, tea was taken at around four o'clock, to stave off hunger in the afternoon. In our house, this is a common occurrence otherwise known as 'the after-school snack!' My children love tea, as do I. Growing up, one of my fondest memories is eating arrowroot biscuits slathered in butter and dipping them into cups of milky, sweet tea at my grandparents' house. My own children now also love this tradition and we indulge regularly. 

My husband has only recently joined the English tea bandwagon but has spent all his life drinking the Argentinian tea, mate yerba. This was often done in a social setting, with a mate (a cup made from a dried gourd) of yerba (the tea itself is called mate yerba) being passed around and each person taking a sip or two out of the bombilla or solid metal straw. It is still a ritual he indulges in today when with his father or brother. 

This is the beauty of 'tea'. It is one of those rituals that can now be adapted to suit our own lifestyles and taste. In our house, 'tea' now refers to our late Saturday lunch, usually based around tea, but includes lots of finger foods - more savoury than sweet.

Our favourite tea menu is not very British inspired! It is very middle-Eastern/European and includes homemade rosemary focaccia, olives, smoked trout, dolmades, carrots sticks, cucumbers, sharp cheese and hommus. For sweets, we usually include a homemade baked treat - cupcakes, muffins, cake, and so on. Today we had homemade chocolate, puff-pastry 'croissants'. This savoury Saturday afternoon 'tea' has been a tradition in our house for a few years now and  it goes with a range of different teas - English tea, chai and herbal teas. Whatever people feel like. Other tea snacks we enjoy include homemade sausage rolls, mini-sandwiches, fresh fruit or vegetables (seasonally picked from our garden - you can see the snow peas in the photo below!) and when our chickens are laying abundantly, quiche, frittata or simple hardboiled eggs. 

Like many other rituals, ideas and values we can take from the classics before us, this is a beautiful tradition that you can adapt to suit your own needs and tastes. I have a small pot of tea early every morning, before the house wakes. It is part of my daily ritual and I look forward to that first cup immensely. It sets a quiet, calming start to my day and if I fail to do it for some reason, I always feel rushed and off kilter for the rest of the day. Funny how our routines can do that to us. 

Do you drink tea? Is it a solo ritual - something that you do in peace or quiet or is it part of a more social experience? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.