There are 2 main “branches” or origins of the word Tea: 

• At the beginning of the 17th century, the Portuguese obtained permission from the Chinese emperor to trade with them in the port of Macao. Their main objective was silk, brocades and spices, but they soon realized the value that they gave to tea, and began to take it to the port of Lisbon, from where the Dutch East India Company took it to the ports of France and Holland. In this port, the Cantonese dialect was spoken, in which tea was called "Ch'a". 
• Also around that time the Dutch established trade with China through the port of Java (today Indonesia) where they traded with Chinese ships from the port of Amoy, they spoke the "Minan" dialect in which the same plant was called "T'e".

Then the countries that traded with the Dutch (practically all of Europe) adopted the word T'e (in various derivations) to call the drink prepared with Camellia Sinensis, other countries that traded with Portugal or directly with China, adopted the word Ch'a.

So we find the different ways of calling this wonderful plant divided by its origin:

AC	Mandarin Chinese
Ch'a	Cantonese Chinese, from this word derived to: Cha : in Portuguese, Persian, Japanese. Shai : in Arabic. Ja: in Tibetan. Chay: in Turkish. Chai : in Russian and Hindi.
Tea	Chinese (Minan) pronounced tai, from this word derived to: Thee : in Dutch. Tee: in German, in Finnish. Tea: in Spanish. You : in Italian. You : in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Malay. Tea : in English and Hungarian. Tea : in French. Tile : in Latvian. Ta: In Korean. Tey : in Tamil. Thay : in Sinhala. Thea : in scientific language.

 

So the word “Chai” is “Tea” in Hindi and Russian.

So why do we call the drink made with tea, spices and milk Chai?

It turns out that in India they invented this drink that is made with strong black tea, spices and buffalo milk, and they call it Masala Chai, which means “mixture of spices with tea.”

 

In the West, a concentrated tea with spices (in liquid or powder form) is sold as “Chai” to which milk or just water (hot or cold) is added. This drink is adapted to the taste of Americans, sweeter and less spicy than the original Indian drink and of course with less tea. There are even “Green Chai” or chai without cha on the market! These are mixtures of spices WITHOUT TEA.

Just as there are countless recipes for making mole, there are thousands of recipes in India for making this drink. Each region or even family has its own recipe, but invariably Masala Chai is a full-bodied black tea (Nilgiri or Assam) to which spices and buffalo milk are added, which is sweeter than cow's milk.

However, if you want to prepare the authentic Masala Chai, we suggest the following recipe:

MASALA CHAI (1 cup)

• 2 tsp. “Oriental Spice” tea (black tea with spices already mixed)

OR

2 tsp. Assam or Nilgiri tea

MORE The species of your choice

 

• ¾ cup Hot water (90-95º C)
• ¼ cup evaporated milk
• 2 tbsp. Condensed Milk

Preparation:

Add the tea to the hot water, let it sit for 4-5 minutes, strain, add the milks.

It can be served with whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon and ground ginger.

Or froth the milk and add the tea little by little so that it has the effect of a cappuccino.

 

So now you know when you order a “Chai Tea” you are ordering a “Tea, Tea”, just in 2 different languages!

Olivia Medina

Tea Master, EURO TEA