TEA AND FOOD ARE PERFECT PARTNERS

Long known and valued for its medicinal properties and its ability to stimulate mind and body, tea was consumed as a food before becoming a refined drink appreciated for its flavours and aromas. It was not until the beginning of this century that tea was brought back into cooking, despite the obvious links!

Is that tea in your soup?

Tea has been consumed for about 3,000 years and has long been an ingredient in its own right. We ate tea long before we drank it! In China, originally classified as a bitter herb, it was combined with onions, spices, fruit peel, flowers and salt to make soup. The tea leaves were crushed and compressed, then roasted and ground to a fine powder and whisked into boiling water. This is how it is still consumed in some parts of Tibet, as a condiment.

A refined drink

During the Chinese Song dynasty (960-1279), green tea began to be prized as a delicate drink. The leaves were ground into a very fine powder, to which a little simmering water was added. With the Ming era (1368-1644), tea became part of a more hedonistic quest, as people came to appreciate the pleasure of preparing it, taking time to taste it and drinking it from a beautiful ceramic vessel, especially from an aesthetic perspective. Although people were not yet focused on the flavours or taste sensations, they began to identify the aromatic characteristics of different teas. The leaves were pulverised with a hand millstone and the resulting fine powder was added to simmering water and beaten with a bamboo whisk to obtain a foam. This technique, which inspired the Japanese tea masters, is still used to prepare Matcha in Japan (Cha No Yu).

Since the fourteenth century, tea has been consumed in its current form, infused in a receptacle. The kettle replaced the tea bottles of the Tang period (618-907) and tea was infused in teapots and zhongs.

Tea at the table, an ancient tradition in Asia

In China and Japan, your cup is filled with tea as soon as you are seated. Tea not only accompanies the entire meal but can be enjoyed at any time, in any situation. It offers all the benefits that the West now appreciates: it quenches thirst, helps fats dissolve and makes food more digestible; it is also virtually calorie-free and it warms the body. Beyond these health benefits, tea naturally complements traditional dishes, especially in Japan, such as sashimi, tempura and grilled eel.

“COOKING” TEAS

Tea is used as an ingredient in various drinks such as lei chai, which is consumed in southern China (crushed or ground tea, mixed with roasted seeds and herbs), Indian chai (an infusion of black tea, spices and sugar in boiling full-fat milk), Sri Lankan siri thay (a shaké tea with milk powder, sugar and boiling water), Myanmar’s lahpet (a fermented or marinated tea, often spicy), and more recently, bubble tea (a sweetened, highly flavoured black tea with milk, ice cubes and cassava or tapioca balls).

Afternoon Tea

Around 1840, the Duchess of Bedford is said to have instigated the tradition of inviting friends over for an afternoon gathering with tea and cakes. This occasion became a ritual, but afternoon tea is also a legacy of the industrial revolution which changed working hours, delayed the time of the evening meal, and created a need for an afternoon break. The tradition was initially the preserve of the nobility but became widespread.

Endless food and tea pairings

Tea has long been reserved for pairing with Asian dishes – the classic and delicious combination of the roasted scents of a Hojicha or the grilled notes of a Genmaicha with raw fish – and in the West is often overshadowed by the traditional choice of wine as a partner to food. Yet it makes an excellent alternative to alcohol, especially wine, which it rivals in terms of the variety and richness of its flavours and aromas. To venture in other tasting directions, it is interesting to create pairings that take advantage of the almost infinite variety of teas and their multiple flavours. The different temperatures at which we can drink tea are an asset. They create many possible combinations (see the examples illustrated above) and allow us to bring out the texture and aromas of the dishes tea accompanies. These might be toning, fusional or contrasting.1 In our stores, our tea sommeliers can provide recommendations based on your specific requirements! •

1. To learn more and explore different pairing ideas, check out the book Tea Sommelier by F-X Delmas and M Minet (published by Chêne, 2016, pp. 151-170) or sign up for a course at our Tea School (www.ecoleduthe.com).

Cooking tea, cooking with tea

Eastern cuisine has incorporated tea for millennia, but the West has only started using tea in cooking in recent years. Motivated by the desire to explore complex flavours, chefs have realised that tea can be served with their dishes as a drink, while the leaves can be used as an ingredient to enhance the flavours and aromas of the food. It is easy to use tea in everyday cooking, and flavoursome too!

The five golden rules

Tea is a culinary pleasure that appeals to all the senses. To get the most from it in the kitchen, get creative, try things out, and keep tasting!

GOLDEN RULE NO. 1

Replace water with tea at every opportunity.

Whenever there is a liquid in a savoury or sweet recipe, tea can make a subtly aromatic alternative.

GOLDEN RULE NO. 2

Tea does not need to be infused in water.

Tea can be infused in milk or single cream which, like water, are excellent vehicles for flavours. Depending on whether you are infusing the tea hot or cold, experiment and adapt the quantity of leaves and the steeping time (often upwards). This is an easy way to update the classics in our culinary repertoire.

GOLDEN RULE NO. 4

Break the rules: be daring and try things out!

GOLDEN RULE NO. 3

Do not throw away leftover tea.

If you do not finish all the tea in your teapot, keep the remaining liquid as seasoning to add to a dish while cooking. You can also reuse the used tea leaves.

To cook with tea, disregard the usual guidelines in terms of quantity of leaves and infusion time. The infusion you prepare for cooking with won’t necessarily be pleasant to drink but could provide wonderful aromatic flavouring once incorporated into your dish. And don’t forget that cooking, like tea, is a story of successful failures.

GOLDEN RULE NO. 5

Take a look through all your cupboards.

It is good to cook with what you have at hand, and that applies to your teas too. Use the teas you have available and revisit your favourite recipes by asking yourself what tea could add in terms of taste or appearance. What about adding your morning Earl Grey into your citrus cake mix?