English Tea

BRITISH TEA.

2. You’ll meet some new words in my report.

3. Nowadays the number of people learning English is increasing, so a lot of people are interested in British traditions.

4. I’d like to learn more about traditional British tea .So, I’ll tell you about the old British tradition - the Tea Party.

5. The following items should be fulfilled: history of the British tea; some rules of etiquette of the English tea; types of British tea; different snacks, supplements, additions to the tea which are popular in England.   I’ve also found an idiom connected with tea. I’ve compared English and Japanese tea and found differences between them.

6. I have found some facts about history of the British tea:  Before the British began to enjoy tea, they took two main meals daily: breakfast and dinner. By the 18th century, fashionable people began to have tea at the evening. By 1700, more than 500 coffee houses in London were serving tea.

 7. Tea drinking in England became even more popular during the reign of Queen Anne. The queen chose tea over the traditional ale as her morning beverage and many followed her lead.

8. I’ve read some rules of etiquette of the British tea: The pinkie is slightly tilted upward when holding a tea cup as a graceful way to avoid spills. A tea drinker never leaves a tea spoon in a tea cup; it is placed it to the right of the saucer. The tea cup should never be held in the air when not drinking.

9. Tea is very popular in England, so English people often use idioms, connected with tea. I’d like to enumerate some of them: The idiom "Tea and Sympathy" comes from sharing a cup of tea with a friend who lends a sympathetic ear.  "Just one's cup of tea" - be something that one prefers.   "Not for all the tea in China" - not for anything at all.  If someone makes a small problem seem far greater than it really is, then they are making "a storm in a teacup".

10. If someone asks you if you 'would like a cuppa', they are asking if you would like a cup of tea. If someone says 'let me be mother' or 'shall I be mother', they are offering to pour out the tea from the teapot.

11. English tea ceremony evolved from the English tradition of Afternoon Tea or Five-o-clock Tea.  Most people believe that English people drink tea everyday at 5 o’clock.  A lot of people do have a cup of tea around then if they are at home, but most people are at work, or on their way home, so, they can’t follow this tradition.

12. Afternoon tea is classified in three ways:      1) cream tea, which includes tea, jam and scones;2) light tea, which includes tea, scones and sweets;3) full tea, which includes tea, savories, scones, sweets and desserts.

13. I’ve read about different snacks, which are served with tea in England:

Pastry is sweet baked product which is like small tarts.

Scones are a type of pastry. Traditional English scones slightly resemble American biscuits, as both use a flaky pastry, but scones tend to be a bit sweeter, and also include ingredients like dried fruit. Delicious when eaten warm, they are also served cold with cream, marmalade, jams, honey.

14. A crumpet is a griddle cake made from flour and yeast.

A biscuit is a baked, commonly flour-based food product.

15. Milk, not cream, is served with tea. Cream is heavy and inhibits the true taste of the tea. The milk should be added after the tea is poured in the cup.

16. China is homeland of tea. In the 16th century seafarers brought tea from China to Europe. By the 18th century, tea has become one of the most popular drinks in the United Kingdom. Since then the original tea ceremony, of course, has changed. So I’ve compared English and Chinese tea and found differences between them:

When people in England drink tea, they use tea couple, dessert plate, teaspoon, knife and fork, a kettle, jug with boiling water, milk jug with milk or cream, tea strainer, sugar-bowl . Chinese people use small rectangular, tea bowl, tea caddy, tea scoop, tea whisk. English people like different snacks, for example: Scones, pastry, crumpets, biscuits. Chinese people usually drink tea with rice, soups, pies.  People in England prefer black tea while Chinese people prefer green or yellow tea. English people add milk and sugar in tea, but Chinese people drink tea without supplements. Chinese tea ceremony takes place in The Tea House on the floor; placement of English tea ceremony is table covered with a light cloth.

17. There’s a receipt of scones, and I’d like to give you some time to write it down, if you want.  Also you can taste scones which I’ve made at home. Bon appétit!

18. If you’re more interested in Chinese cuisine, you can write down this receipt of Tea eggs.

 19. So, we’ve learned more about traditional British tea – about history of the British tea;   etiquette of the English tea;   types of British tea;   different snacks, supplements, additions to the tea which are popular in England.     I’ve compared English and Japanese tea. Europeans are more aware of the English tea party, because the Chinese tea is too complicated and exotic.