Exploring the history of chai with Mira Manek

Mira Manek, author of The Book of Chai | Photo credit: Courtesy of Mira Manek

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As the popularity of chai has grown internationally in recent times, the beverage has become synonymous with the spicy and milky version of tea, which Indians call Masala Chai – ‘masala’ meaning spice and ‘chai’ meaning tea.

Mostly served hot, but sometimes cold, chai in its many iterations has gained huge popularity in cafés and coffee shops, with many now serving chai lattes or what many call chai tea latte (a misnomer as chai means tea). There’s also dirty chai – chai latte with a shot of coffee – which again has an original Indian name – masala coffee.
 

“Some like it with fragrant cardamom, while others boil it with fresh lemongrass leaves”

Amid growing recognition and demand chai-dedicated cafés, such as Chaiiwala, Chai Guys and India’s very own Chai Sutta Bar, have multiplied in cities around the world, each creating various chai recipes from syrups, powders, tea blends and whole spices.

Yet, chai served in cafés tends to be rather milky, is only often lightly spiced (although there are now many spicier chai beverages available as western palates become more accustomed to heat) and often bear little resemblance to the huge variety of chai beverages found in homes and on the streets of India.

There really is no right way to make chai. Some like it ‘kadak’, meaning ‘strong’, while others like it lighter on tea, but more gingery or peppery. Some like it with fragrant cardamom, while others boil it with fresh lemongrass leaves to make a ‘leeli chai’ or even mint leaves for a ‘pudina chai’.

In some regions of India tea is made with saffron and in others it’s crushed cardamom and that’s all. One thing that all Indian teas have in common is the extra sugar added, and tea in India usually comes in a small cup, so it’s rather a strong little shot of energy.

However, what many don’t know is that India didn’t start drinking tea until the early 1900s. The history of both growing tea and drinking tea is very much linked with the British Raj, but the practice of drinking spices in hot water, which has medicinal and healing properties, originates in the ancient text of the Ayurveda thousands of years ago.

As to when the marriage of spices and tea and indeed milk and sugar happened – that is still a mystery – something which I explore in my new book The Book Of Chai. 
 

Mira Manek is the author of The Book of Chai: History, Stories and Recipes, her third book. Manek is also founder of Chai by Mira, a chai spice brand supplying cafés and restaurants and online. Mira is also a nutrition, health and wellness expert, running ‘Reset + Reframe’ workshops and retreats. The Book of Chai is available at major book retailers and on Amazon, priced £16.99, US $22.99.

This article was first published in Issue 20 of 5THWAVE magazine.

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