Libro Ingles II

Tea
■ Introduction undergoes extensive processing. The tea is picked mature

and left to dry, after which it either is rolled in the ortho-
Tea refers to the beverage, the leaf, and the plant on dox method or cut or torn in the unorthodox method.
which the leaf grows. Grown and served in China since Left to oxidize in a moist environment for several hours,
ancient times, tea was introduced to Europeans in the the tea then is dried or fired before packaging or storing.
seventeenth century. Several varieties of tea exist, all of Several other varieties of tea are popular in Asia, and
which are made from the leaves of the same plant but dif- they have a growing number of drinkers in other areas
fer in their processing. Tea often is served with additional of the world. Oolong tea is made in the same manner as
ingredients, and in many cultures, traditions or special black tea, but the oxidization period is reduced. Some
ceremonies may accompany the serving of tea. The tea teas, and probably the earliest teas in China, are made by
trade has existed since a taste for tea was acquired in steaming, then compressing the tea leaves into a block or
countries that cannot grow tea, but future growth of the ball. Fermented or pu-erh tea is made by fermenting the
trade is uncertain, as demand is not growing in the tradi- block or ball of tea. Fermented tea is popular in China
tional export markets of Russia and the United Kingdom. and other parts of East Asia. Tea processors refer to the
oxidization process as fermentation, but most teas are
oxidized for only a few hours; the vast majority of teas
■ Historical Background and are not actually fermented with live and active cultures
in the manner of yogurt. A wide variety of aromatic in-
Scientific Foundations gredients can be added when blending teas to impart
The plant Camellia sinensis was cultivated as early as the particular flavors. Flavored teas include the addition of
tenth century BC. The first tea cultivation was probably bergamot, citrus peels, vanilla, lavender, lotus, jasmine,
in the area near where the current borders of China, and other aromatics.
India, and Myanmar intersect. Tea has been a popular Tea in most countries is prepared from loose tea.
beverage in China, India, and Japan for many centuries. Sometimes the tea leaves are boiled with water, but
Introduced to Europeans in the seventeenth century, usually boiling water is poured over the tea. Some pre-
tea quickly rose in popularity on that continent. Tea is parers form a strong brew to which they then add hot
a tropical or semi-tropical product, so it is grown com- water to serve. Some strain out the leaves or put the
mercially in only 36 countries. All types of teas are made leaves in a metal mesh ball placed in the water so that
using the leaves of the Camellia sinensis, but the pro- they can be removed. Others allow the leaves to settle
cessing varies for different types of teas. then pour tea from a pot, being careful to retain the
White tea is made from the very young leaves of the leaves in the pot. In some areas of the world, the in-
plant when they first appear. They are picked before the dividual teacups will have tea leaves floating in them.
leaves develop chlorophyll, so the leaves appear to be Starting in the 1920s, producers in the United States
white or silver in color. Green tea is made from picked used gauze and then paper to deliver tea in a ready-
mature leaves, which are then left to dry. After these to-use package—the teabag. Quickly adopted in the
leaves wither, they are steamed and rolled, then dried United States, use of the teabag began to spread, first
again. Black tea is the most popular type, comprising 65 to the United Kingdom in the 1950s and later to other
percent of production and 80 percent of traded tea in the parts of the world. In the 1980s bottled teas appeared
early twenty-first century according to the Food and Agri- in Japan, and after ward these convenience foods
culture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and it expanded into other countries.
760
(c) 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Tea
Tea is served in a variety of ways. Most tea is con-

sumed hot immediately after it is made, but consumers
of tea in the United States often drink cold, iced tea. Tea
WORDS TO KNOW
can be sweetened with sugar, honey, or jam, and is of-
ten served with milk or lemon added. In areas of Tibet, ANTIOXIDANT: A substance that inhibits oxidization or
Pakistan, Central Asia, Nepal, and Mongolia, all countries slows the progress of oxidization.
in Asia, tea often is served with salt and butter, some- THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATION: A system in which an orga-
times with butter made from yak’s milk. Tea may un- nization independent of all the companies in a supply
dergo a single steeping, the process of allowing the leaves chain certifies that a good reaches particular standards
to release their flavor into the water, but in many cultures or has particular attributes. Most international organic
multiple steepings of the same leaves are common. standards, fair trade standards, claims of being not ge-
Many cultural traditions are built around the serving netically modified, and a variety of environmental claims
of tea. Tea ceremonies are common in East Asia, whereas are certified using third-party certification.
special places for drinking tea or special events known TROPICAL PRODUCT: An agricultural product that can be
as tea parties are found in other cultures. Since the early cultivated only in a relatively warm climate. Tropical
1990s, a variety of evidence of the health benefits of tea products include tea, coffee, cocoa, cotton, pineapples,
drinking has been published. Most studies examine the bananas, and a wide variety of other tropical fruits.
potential health benefits of the antioxidants found in tea.
Green tea pickers harvest tea leaves in springtime at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Japan. Image copyright Hiroshi Ichikawa, 2010. Used under license from
Shutterstock.com.
FOOD: IN CONTEXT 761

Tea
■ Impacts and Issues Ho, Chi-Tang, Jen-Kun Lin, and Fereidoon Shahidi. Tea
and Tea Products: Chemistry and Health-Promoting
As tea is popular in countries in which it does not grow, Properties. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009.
the tea trade has been important since the seventeenth Hohenegger, Beatrice. Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from
century. China is the largest exporter of tea. Kenya, East to West. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006.
India, and Sri Lanka are also major exporters. The larg- Hohenegger, Beatrice, and Terese T. Bartholomew.
est importers of tea are Russia, the United Kingdom, Steeped in History: The Art of Tea. Los Angeles:
Pakistan, and the United States, according to the FAO. Fowler Museum at UCLA, 2009.
The largest consumers are India, China, Russia, and
Jolliffe, Lee. Tea and Tourism: Tourists, Traditions and
Japan. Most tea is grown on plantations, sometimes
Transformations. Clevedon, UK: Channel View
called estates, but plantation labor conditions have
Publications, 2007.
been controversial and labor rights violations have been
suspected. Women perform the majority of both field Ohki, Sadako. Tea Culture of Japan. New Haven, CT:
and processing work on tea plantations, which is time- Yale University Art Gallery, 2009.
sensitive and labor intensive. Rose, Sarah. For All the Tea in China: How England
Smallholders, farmers who own or have access to Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed His-
small plots of land, usually less than two hectares, also tory. New York: Viking, 2010.
grow tea. Efforts to encourage smallholder production,
especially in East Africa, to be sold in developed coun- Periodicals
tries have been assisted by labeling tea “organic” or “fair Cole, Thomas B. “The Tea.” JAMA: The Journal of the
trade” through third party certification systems. Tea im- American Medical Association 301, no. 9 (2009): 914.
ports by the large import markets have been relatively
Kuriyama, Shinichi, Yoshikazu Nishino, Yoshitaka Tsub-
stable for many years, revealing saturation of those mar-
ono, and Ichiro Tsuji. “Green Tea Consumption
kets. However, the market for green tea is expected to
and Mortality in Japan—Reply.” JAMA: The Jour-
grow in developed countries due to its purported health
nal of the American Medical Association 297, no. 4
benefits. Also, according to the FAO, potential growth
(2007): 360.
in tea-growing regions is largely unexplored, as in these
countries, consumers on average use only one tenth of Schneider, Craig, and Tiffany Segre. “Green Tea:
the volume of tea used by consumers in the saturated Potential Health Benefits.” American Family Physi-
markets such as Russia and the United Kingdom. cian 79, no. 7 (2009): 591–594.
“Tea Drinking.” JAMA: The Journal of the American
SEE ALSO Agriculture and International Trade; Asian Medical Association 293, no. 5 (2005): 632.
Diet; Caffeine; Fair Trade; Foodways; Functional
Foods; Gender Equality and Agriculture; Gourmet Web Sites
Hobbyists and Foodies; Phytochemicals (Phytonutri-
ents); Religion and Food; Women’s Role in Global Edgar, Julie. “Health Benefits of Green Tea.” WebMD.
Food Preparation. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/
health-benefits-of-green-tea (accessed October 25,
BIBLIOGRAPHY 2010).
Books
Thibodeaux, Raymond. “India’s Tea Trade Features New
Brew.” VOANews.com, September 21, 2010. http://
Harney, Michael. The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea. New www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/VOA-
York: Penguin Press, 2008. Indias-Tea-Trade-Features-New-Brew-103424084.
Heiss, Mary L., and Robert J. Heiss. The Story of Tea: html (accessed October 25, 2010).
A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. Berkeley,
CA: Ten Speed Press, 2007. Blake Jackson Stabler
762 FOOD: IN CONTEXT

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Tea

■ Introduction undergoes extensive processing. The tea is picked mature

(c) 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Tea is served in a variety of ways. Most tea is con-

FOOD: IN CONTEXT 761

(c) 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

762 FOOD: IN CONTEXT

(c) 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

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