Chai
Webpages concerning "Chai"
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Wikipedia-Article "Chai"
See article Chai (symbol) for the Jewish chai symbol.
Chai (Hindi: चाय [cāy]) or Masala Chai is a term for spiced tea from India.
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History
The origins of the chai masala recipe are obscure but it is believed to have been created after the British began cultivating tea within colonial India during the 19th century C.E. to compensate for their inability to meet demand from Chinese exports.
General
The Chinese character for tea, 茶, is pronounced in Mandarin Chinese as "chá", and is the source of words for tea in many Eastern languages, hence "chai" in Central, South, and Southwest Asian languages as well as in Eastern and Central Europe and North and East Africa. "Chá" is also the word for tea in Portuguese. In the United States, many people refer to Indian tea as Chai tea, a redundancy (since chai means tea) resulting from the fact that the two words originally derive from two different spoken forms of Chinese. In India, prepared tea is sold in many varieties, the most famous being "masala chai" (मसाला चाय [masālā cay]), masala being the Hindi word for spice, and the spice mixture is sold as "chai masala." Chai is widely popular in India, even more popular than coffee is in North America, and is also a relatively popular beverage in coffeehouses in other countries.
Preparation
There is no fixed recipe or preparation method for masala chai and many families in India have their own special versions of the tea. Due to the huge range of possible variations, chai can be considered a class of tea rather than a specific kind. But all chai has four basic components:
- Tea: The base tea is usually a strong black tea, such as darjeeling, so that the various spices and sweeteners do not overpower it. However, a wide variety of teas can be and are used to make chai. Sometimes the drink can be prepared with tisanes such as rooibos.
- Sweetener: Plain white sugar is sufficient, though unprocessed sugar, molasses, honey, and other sweeteners can be used for various flavors.
- Milk or other such creamers.
- Spices: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, and cloves are some of the most common elements, though masala chai can be made with such varied ingredients as nutmeg, chocolate, cocoa or licorice.
Chai can be prepared in many ways. The most common way is to add milk, water, sugar and the spices and tea, bringing to a boil, and then proceeding to simmer it for a few minutes. It is then strained and served.
External links
- What is chai? — a brief introduction to chai on Chai! The Enthusiast's Online Chai Resource.
- Masala chai — a detailed article about chai on Culinary Teas.
- It's Not Chai Tea Latté ! — An article on Chai, The Tao of Tea.
- Health Benefits of Chai - The ingredients of chai and their health benefits, Chai.com
- [1] - A timeline of Tea drinking