In Tea food historian Helen Saberi explores this rich and fascinating history. Saberi looks at the economic and social uses of tea, such as its use as a currency during the Tang dynasty; its role in American independence at the Boston Tea Party; afternoon tea drunk by the British in India; and the 1913 creation of a tea dance or The Dansant that combined tea with tango.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1 What is Tea?
• 2 China
• 3 Japan, Korea and Taiwan
• 4 Caravans and Mediterranean Shores
• 5 Tea Comes to the West
• 6 India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia
• 7 Tea Today and Tomorrow
• Recipes
• What gives tea its flavour and aroma?
• To Make Tea
• Moroccan Tea
• Iced Tea
• Tea Cups and Punches
• Eliza Acton's The Regent's, or George The Fourth's, Punch
• Tea Cup
• Spiced Tea
• Tea as a flavouring: Chinese Tea Eggs
• Shrimps in Dragon Well Tea
• O-chazuke
• Lemon and Rose Tea Jelly
• Green Tea Ice Cream
• Jasmine Tea Sorbet
• Tea Loaf
• Tea Cup Trifle
• Glossary
• Select Bibliography
• Websites and Associations
• Acknowledgements
• Photo Acknowledgements