Chai Tea
Chai is a popular Indian recipe that is basically a spiced black tea. The recipes for chai vary considerably, but most of them use some combination of cardamom, cloves, ginger, peppercorn, curry, cumin seeds, lemon grass and rampe leaves. The result is a very unique and stimulating flavor. Today, chai recipes are extremely popular in India and Sri Lanka, far more popular even than coffee is in the United States. The most popular version in India is called ‘massala chai’. It has recently began to rise in popularity in western cultures as well, providing an alternative to coffee other than the English style teas westerners have grown accustomed to.
The word ‘chai’ actually just means tea in Hindi, and several other eastern languages. The ‘cha’ root of chai appears in many languages around the world for the word tea, including Portuguese. ‘Massala’ means spice in Hindi, so massala chai to Indians simply means ‘spiced tea’.
It is unknown where the recipe originates from exactly, and when it became popular. Because of its widespread use in India, it most likely was first developed in that region of the world. Evidence seems to suggest that it became popular during the English colonial period of India’s history when the British were exporting most of India’s tea for their own use or sale leaving behind only the poorest quality tea. The chai recipe may have developed as a way to cover the poor flavor of the low quality tea that was available to natives in that time period.
Today there is no lack for quality tea in India or anywhere else, and chai is often made with some of the best black teas in the world. A strong tea is usually preferred, such as a Ceylon or Darjeeling, so that the flavor of the tea doesn’t get completely lost with the spices. Chai teas are usually served mixed with sugar and milk. A common method in making chai is to boil all the ingredients together, the milk, sugar, water, spices and tea, and then strain the liquid afterwards.
You can find chai tea at most coffee shops around North America today, including Starbucks and other popular chains. If you’ve never had it, give it a try next time you visit a Starbucks; the two billion plus people that drink it every day in the far east can’t all be wrong. If nothing else, it’s a nice change from coffee now and then.
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