XIV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2022

The arrival of the tea drink in England is associated with a beautiful legend. The legend says that in the XVII century the young wife of King Charles II, the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza, brought not only the Indian island of Bombay to England as a dowry, but also the habit of drinking tea every day. So the ladies of the English high society followed the example of the princess, starting to gather to discuss the latest news over a cup of tea.

The story of one law and the culprit of afternoon tea

To begin with, you should turn to history and understand the English tea tradition. If you think that 5 o'clock and afternoon tea are one and the same, then we hasten to clarify. They owe their appearance to one enterprising aristocrat and Prohibition in England.

The "culprit" of Afternoon tea is considered Duchess Anne of Bedford. By tradition, dinner in England was served very late, at 8-9 pm, and Anna often felt hungry. The aristocrat decided that in the middle of the day it was worth refreshing her strength with tea and light snacks, and over time she even began to invite her friends to such meetings. This is how a fashionable snack appeared in the form of a cup of tea and a small sandwich, which the British liked so much that it grew into a whole ceremony.

The 5 o'clock has a very different origin. In 1851, 10 years after aristocrats invented Afternoon tea, an almost prohibition law was passed, limiting the sale of alcohol. In those days, the quality of water left much to be desired, and the British were afraid to drink it in its pure form, but they actively consumed alcohol. In return, the authorities strongly advised (and strongly encouraged such a decision) to switch to soft drinks, including tea. To improve the health of the nation, the government decided to replace strong drinks with tea and even specified it in the law. From now on, every day at exactly 17.00, all Britons, including those working, had to take a break for 15 minutes and ... go to drink tea. The law was appropriately named - 5 o'clock. The aristocrats drank their Afternoon tea and continued on. Since they did not need to work, their ceremony was not limited in time.

"Right" English tea

Any high quality black tea (of course, not in bags) is suitable for brewing "correct" English tea. Usually 2-4 varieties are served to the table in teapots with a strainer. Scones, sandwiches, cakes, petit fours (ed. - assorted small cakes) and biscuits - all the treats are laid out on a traditional three-tiered "bookcase" on a geridon. Sandwiches are laid out on the lower level, scones (ed. - small breads) on the middle, and cakes, petit fours or biscuits on the upper level.

An important element of tea drinking is heavy ghee, which, according to the British, cannot be replaced by anything. To prepare them, the milk is heated over low heat, then cooled, and then the top thick layer is removed and heated until a golden crust forms. In Cornwall, there is a special tea delicacy called "Thunder and Lightning". If you want to repeat this delicacy, then spread cream on the bread, pour over syrup and black molasses on top.

Setting for the tea ceremony using the example of Afternoon tea setting:

for each participant in the ceremony - a cloth napkin, a pair of tea (saucer and cup), a teaspoon, a dessert plate, dessert utensils (knife, fork);

on the table we spread a tablecloth and serve a kettle for making tea, a container for milk (milk jug), a sugar bowl, a kettle with hot water (dilute tea in cups or tea leaves in a kettle), a tea strainer, sockets for jam, cream and lemon cream, cut lemon wedges on a plate;

three-tiered "shelf" for serving sandwiches, scones and petit fours, tea itself to choose from.

for lemon, sandwiches, lump sugar, jam, common serving utensils must be present.

Tea drinking traditions

In England, it is customary to drink tea 6-7 times a day. However, there are several types of receptions for guests. The second breakfast or eleven o'clock tea (English Elevenses) is an appetizer and can consist of a cake, biscuits, a cup of tea or coffee. As a rule, it is taken around 11 o'clock in the morning, which is why it is called “Elevenses”. Afternoon tea (which in the original is called 5 o'clock tea, Afternoon tea, Low tea) most often served as a reception for guests. Usually ladies came to this event to share the latest news and gossip, as well as to discuss the latest fashion trends. Late or "high" tea (English High tea) is dinner. It consists of cold snacks and a hot meal. Usually served around 7 or 8 pm. Table setting includes cups and saucers, small dessert bowls, tongs or teaspoons for sugar, serving tongs, cream and sugar, lemon wedges, honey and spoons for it, linen napkins and, of course, a teapot. If the guest prefers tea with lemon and sugar, then the sugar should always be added first. If you first put a slice of lemon, then because of the citric acid, the sugar will not be able to dissolve. You need to drink tea while holding a cup and saucer at the same time. In addition, you should not stick out your ring finger and little finger. They should be folded neatly towards the wrist. Any other position of the palm is considered a sign of arrogance. You need to take small sips of tea, at this moment, without moving your head and looking at the cup. The spoon should be quiet when stirring the sugar. After stirring, place the spoon on the saucer to the right of the cup. First of all, you need to heat the teapot to prevent the china set from cracking. Therefore, before the tea ceremony, the teapot should be filled with hot tap water and covered with a lid. For making tea, be sure to use only cold water. After the water has completely boiled, pour hot tap water through the spout of the teapot (to warm it up too) and pour boiled water into it. Add as many teaspoons of tea as there are cups (+1). Stir the tea in the teapot. Black and green tea should be infused for 3-5 minutes, herbal tea - 5-7. Remember to infuse the tea for a short time, otherwise the tea leaves (or tea bags) may cause unwanted bitterness. Remember that loose leaf tea expands when brewed, so you shouldn't add a lot of tea leaves. After the tea is brewed, pour it into the cups. Then, as Queen Elizabeth II does, add milk and sugar. What do you think should be poured into the cup first: tea or milk? A hundred years ago, having seen the sequence in which a person pours tea and milk into a cup, it was possible to determine his social class. The poor British could not afford high-quality dishes, so they first poured milk, and then tea, since ordinary cups could not withstand high temperatures and could break. The aristocrats kept Chinese porcelain in their homes, which could withstand hot drinks with ease. Therefore, they poured hot tea first, and then cool milk. During the tea ceremony, communication should be casual. You should not discuss serious topics such as politics or economics. The British call this type of communication Small Talk. Over a cup of tea, they can talk about the history and types of tea, about the British royal family and, finally, about the weather. Favorite varieties: Earl Gray, Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, English Breakfast, English Afternoon, Russian Caravan.

Tips for creating the perfect tea party

If you want to have a real tea ceremony, then here are some rules to follow. Tea drinking can take place both at a high and at a low table. If tea is drunk at a low canopy table, then the saucer is held in the left hand at chest level, the cup in the right, while the index finger is not threaded into the ear, and the little finger is not "protruding" - this is bad form. If the tea party takes place at a high table, the saucer is on the table.

In English etiquette, tea is stirred with a spoon with gentle movements in a straight line. Imagine that the cup is a clock face, and we first lead the spoon to the number 12, and then to the number 6. We do this 3-4 times, trying not to knock. When the tea is stirred, remove the spoon from the cup and literally shake off the drops into the cup with just one or two movements. Next, put the spoon behind the cup on the saucer so that the handle is on the right side. Tea is drunk in small sips, noiselessly.

A meal in English tea drinking begins from the bottom tier of the bookcase and gradually moves to the top. Sandwiches are picked up with tongs, transferred to their plate, picked up by hand and eaten in a few bites without using utensils. The slopes can be immediately taken by hand and broken without using devices. It is customary to put jam and cream on your plate with serving spoons. Cream is applied to the edge of one half, then jam (or in reverse order) and bite off from it. Broken scone cannot be spread whole in a sandwich. Ptifours are also eaten by hand, cakes are eaten with a dessert fork in the right hand.

English tea lasts an average of two hours and is never completely quiet. Come up with some light-hearted small talk in advance. For example, about the weather or new Westwing collections.

References

1. Pavlovskaya A.V. "5 O'clock and Other Traditions of England".

2. Pokhlebkin V.V. "Tea, its history, properties, use".

3. Lyakhova K.A. "Quirks of etiquette".

4. Beverly Dubrin "Tea culture: history, traditions, holidays, recipes and much more."

5. Semenov V.M. "An invitation to tea".

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