The corridors of Asia reverberate with the clink of cups and saucers as the ‘contagious tea-drinking culture’ pervades West Asia, extending to regions of the Middle-East. And today, that’s where our tea-drinking journey will take us. So let’s go!
Azerbaijan
“Çay nədir, say nədir” that’s what Azerbaijanis say whenever they talk about tea. That translates into “when you drink tea, the cup count doesn’t matter.” Tea is ‘sacred’ in Azerbaijan and offering tea indicates hospitality and warmth. Tradition forbids guests leaving without partaking at least a cup of tea.
Tea in Azerbaijani traditional Armudu Glass
Traditionally, Azerbaijanis drink tea without milk. The freshly brewed tea is strong and brightly colored. When served in crystal glasses or the traditional Armudu (pear-shaped glasses), the tea looks just delicious. Flavoring tea with thyme rose water, sweets, and adding sugar cubes makes the tea look and taste even more delicious.
Chaykhanas – traditional tea houses- are popular meeting places to play, talk, and read. Needless to say, the chief attraction is the ‘cup of tea’ that invariably adorns the tables.
Matchmaking and tea-drinking culture in Azerbaijan have a strong connection. Tea served sans sugar implies that the chances of a wedding are low. In contrast, sugared tea means that the chances of a wedding happening is very high.
Armenia
For gourmet and connoisseur tea drinkers, this is the place. You can get organic tea- pure and authentic. Armenians are not hardcore tea drinkers and prefer local herbal infusions to black tea or green tea. Thyme, mint, with a pinch of ginger, canella, cloves and some sugar makes some outstanding herbal teas.
Turkish Tea-drinking Culture
Turkish Tea
Since the 20th century, Turkey has been on the tea-map and tea-drinking is said to be the cornerstone of its culture. Before that coffee ruled the roost but when it became too expensive, tea replaced it. Tea is a popular beverage and black tea is a hot favorite with natives. But tourists prefer the wide array of herbal teas that are always available. Anytime is tea-time in Turkey and as in Morocco, you’re sure to land up with a cup/glass of tea in your hand when you go visiting. Locals delight in serving tea in tulip-shaped glasses and you can actually see the golden, warm liquid as you sip your way through.
Turkish Tea-how it’s made
Making tea in a double teapot is the general standard. The lower part contains boiling water and the upper part contains tea leaves. This makes it possible to vary the strength of the tea and cater to both. By changing the concentration of the tea leaves in the top pot and diluting tea with boiling water from the lower pot, you can get the kind of tea that you want. Opt for strong, dark, bitter tea with or without sugar cubes. If that’s not an option, then go in for a lighter and sweeter tea.
In Eastern Turkey, the tea-drinking culture is slightly different. Guests place sugar cubes under the tongue or in the cheek. As the hot, strong, bitter dark liquid goes down, it takes along with it the sweetness from the sugar cubes. Lemon tea is also common, though tea and milk don’t seem to find a place together.
Tea houses are anywhere and everywhere and they are present in almost all towns. Gardens and tea houses are hubs of intense social activity for the menfolk and you can always see a group of people with cups of tea in their hands. Indeed, tea-drinking culture is an intense activity as some of the other traditions.
Syria
There is a lot of similarity between Arabic and Syrian tea culture. Syrian tea is invariably minty and sweet. Moroccan Mint is a hot favorite as is hibiscus flower tea (zouhourat). Served in “shot-like glasses”, tea is inevitably accompanied by a ‘nargilah pipe’ or an ‘intricate shisha’. Black tea also does the rounds along with thick, black coffee.
Israel
As a country, Israel is a mixture of traditions and modernism and this penetrates even to their tea-drinking culture. Herbal teas are highly popular and do rounds alongside the traditional tea bags. Though Israelites clearly prefer the ‘halitot‘ (infusions), oftentimes they mix herbs with black tea or tea bags to strengthen the tea.
During the rainy season, herbs grow profusely and that’s the time when herbal teas of different varieties burst into view. Of course, spice shops sell dried herbs and many of them have their own special blends. They are even willing to mix a special concoction of herbs to suit particular tastes. Name it and you have it- be it lemongrass or lemon verbena, sage, cinnamon or spearmint. There is a wide palette of spices and aromas to choose from.
And for those that love fruit infusions, well you can get the most creative and exotic teas that you have ever tasted. Don’t forget that ‘cuppa’ if you ever happen to visit Israel.
Iranian Cha-ee keeps you hooked
Tea is a ‘hot favorite’ even in the hot Middle East and it has been since the 15th century. ‘Chaikhanehs’ mushroomed throughout Iran. It slowly became a meeting place for locals to debate and discuss politics over that ‘cuppa of tea’. Slowly Iran’s social strata began to include simmering samovars, ‘eternally boiling kettles’, and stove burners.
Placing rose petals and black tea (generally) at the bottom of the pot is the first step. Then comes the adding of hot water. The tea leaves steep in the hot water and checked for consistency and color. It should be strong and black. If that is satisfactory, then the tea goes back to the kettle or samovar and kept boiling hot.
If you’re wondering how guests can stomach that black and bitter brew and how they ingest the caffeine and tannin, here’s the secret. Serving rock candy called nabat is a common sight. Guests place the sweet cube in their mouths and sip their tea. The sweet candy offsets the bitterness. However, you can always dilute your tea with hot water and add sugar to suit your taste, so don’t fret overly.
Iraqi Tea
Iraqis love black tea (chai in Iraq) and it’s almost as if it’s their national drink. They drink it throughout the day and generally start off with a cup of the dark, strong brew. They drink at mealtimes, at social meetings– in fact, they look for an excuse to drink tea. Ceylon and Assam black teas are more prominent brands.
Usually, at breakfast, Iraqis drink pure, black tea but at other times, cinnamon or cardamom spices the beverage. Iraqis love their tea strong and sweet. No visitor or guest goes away without having a cup of that strong, sweet brew. Hosts serve the drink in small waist glasses with small saucers.
Making tea on coals using a kettle is a common sight. “Noomi Basra” (dried lime) with sugar is another popular drink. Green tea is not as popular and normally homes don’t have a supply.
If you’re in Iraq and you want more tea, keep your glass or cup upright. However, don’t forget to lay your cup flat after you finish drinking your tea.
Qatar’s Karak
The Qatari Karak chai is a concoction of black tea leaves, water, sugar, and evaporated milk. Tea leaves are boiled twice. Once with hot water and then boiled once again with milk and sugar. Boiling the tea leaves twice presumably ensures a stronger flavor. Karak is a national favorite. Tea shops and cafeterias offer Karak whenever you enter. If it’s a social gathering at home or a business meeting, it’s not complete without Karak. In fact, it’s a “must-have” drink.
Tea-shops selling Karak will invariably have long lines in front of them. Tea, as we have seen before, is an excuse to socialize and mingle with family and friends.
Sometimes, spices like ginger, clove, cinnamon, intensify the flavor and aroma. The unadulterated ‘Qatari tea usually just has cardamom. Regular drinkers of tea vouch for the soothing, calming effects and medicinal positives that it has on them.
Jordan’s Ahlan wa Sahlan
That’s the welcome strain that you’ll hear in the corridors of Jordan and it extends itself to guests that come visiting. Tea-drinking in Jordan dates a long way back and follows Bedouin traditions when it comes to preparing the brew. Jordan has elements of Arabic, Islamic and Western culture. This is apparent in its tea-drinking culture.
Tea is a popular beverage and the locals don’t require a special occasion to drink it. It’s an ‘anytime, anywhere’, beverage. Tea in Jordan is thick and sweet. The reason is very obvious.
Water and sugar together with tea leaves go into the teapot. However, making tea in Jordan has a unique feature. Stirring the mixture is taboo. That’s why the resultant liquid is pure amber.
Adding thyme or mint sprigs is very common as they lend additional flavor and fragrance to the beverage. Oftentimes, guests drink tea with generous helpings of sugar and a hint of sage. Serving tea in tiny glasses without handles (istikans) is generally the norm. These glasses often become so hot that’s it requires a special knack to hold them. That’s why these istikans have cup holders made of silver.
Kuwait’s ‘Shay al Kuwaiti’
Kuwait offers different varieties of tea that’s what ‘Shay al Kuwaiti’ means. Tea-drinking culture is as popular as their coffee drinking.
The typical ‘every day after breakfast Kuwaiti tea’ is an infusion of black tea leaves, sugar, and cinnamon sticks boiled together with water in a special boiler. Tea served after lunch is usually made with saffron and cardamom. Though hot, black tea with cardamom and saffron tends to be the norm, locals do add lemon and peppermint to spice it up. However, there’s no gainsaying the fact that the spicy, aromatic, cardamom and saffron brew is a favorite across Kuwait.
With tea bags, steeping in a boiling mixture of saffron and cardamom is a must. Steep time is directly proportional to the strength of the tea that you want. The longer you steep, the stronger the tea. Of course, you can add as much sugar as you want.
The cinnamon orange-ice tea is a great tasting drink. The secret is in steeping tea bags in boiling water or boiling tea leaves with orange peel and cinnamon sticks. A syrup made from water, sugar, ginger, and mint leaves is in readiness.
The cooled tea is poured over ice. A slice of lemon stuck at the top of the glass presents the perfect picture of a long glass of iced tea. However, the finale is sweetening the tea with mint syrup.
A cup of tea comes with an assortment of sweets and nuts. Sometimes, cookies or dates do the honors.
But, if you’re in Kuwait, don’t ever refuse a cup of tea, even if you’re not an avid tea drinker. The host will feel insulted.
Saudi Arabia
Tea-drinking is the mainline of the social and business etiquette in Arab culture. Their tea ritual is surely a drawn-out affair and is definitely not for those who just want to ‘gulp a cup of tea and be on their way’. It’s for those who want to relax and bond over a cup of tea. Despite it being hot outside, a cup of tea is always on the cards.
A brazier full of hot coals, a teapot on the fire with strong black tea being brewed within is a common sight. Added to this strong mix is sugar, a little milk with just a dash of mint or cardamom. Served in long, tall glasses, it’s spicy, delicious, and aromatic. Much of the Arab world believes that the hot boiling water used for tea can kill viruses and bacteria. So, the beverage is much touted as a medicinal drink. So don’t be surprised if you’re offered Sage, chamomile, or thyme tea, not to forget Anise, cardamom, or hibiscus tea.
More than the actual tea, the preparation time is deliberately drawn out to create a sense of well-being amongst those present and sort out issues that may be there between people. Youngsters, on the border of adulthood, are encouraged to partake in the tea making.
Relatives invite the young people to pour boiling hot water from a pot to the teapot where leaves are kept within. This act is considered important as the aerated water poured from ‘high above’ is supposed to release and enhance the flavor of the tea when the water hits the tea leaves. Moreover, tea served is frothy with foam on top, makes the tea look better and taste better.
Lebanon
The Lebanese are said to have “championed the custom of hospitality,” and this extends to their tea-drinking culture too. Tea-drinking has pervaded business meetings, social meets, Lebanese homes and is an integral part of every single meal.
Hot tea is always in readiness and guests are offered a cup even before they sit down. Lebanese tea has a strong twist to it and is spiced with cardamom or cinnamon. Of course, a dash of orange blossom water or even rose water is inevitable. Lebanese teas have a bouquet of unique aromas that allure and tempt. For those that like their tea sweet, the sugar pot is always nearby.
Lebanese ice tea made with pine nuts and rose water is a cool favorite. Teabags are steeped in boiling water. Lemon juice, sugar, and rose water are stirred in. When this concoction is cooled, it’s served over ice. This floral flavor is enticing.
The Lebanese also make apple tea- a concoction of stewed apples, cinnamon, and green tea to which a dash of lemon juice is added. This combination makes a ‘refreshing and exciting cup of tea.’
And thus, our journey in tea-drinking culture trails off to an end– or at least until I feel the urge to explore the teas of Europe and America. Till then it’s au-revoir. I hope you have enjoyed all those cups of tea that came your way! Please let me know how you feel about this heady drink…
