The subject of my research work is «Tea traditions of England». The purpose of my work is to collect the most interesting facts about tea traditions of England and compile the information into a single report.
I set the following aims:
• To view the available information on this topic in the literature (both in Russian and in English) and the Internet;
• To systematize the knowledge for teachers to use at English lessons.
To achieve this, I used the following methods:
-On the first theoretical and exploratory stage, the main method is the research of information.
- The final stage is a generalization of the results of the study.
The object of my research is the tea traditions of England.
Hypothesis is that English tea traditions have a long history.
The practical significance of my work is the use of the collected material by teachers at English lessons.
What is tea? Different people can answer in different ways. The doctor says that the tea is a cure for many diseases. An ordinary man says that tea is his daily morning drink. Merchant – that it's goods. Englishman - that it is a custom, Indian - it's a tradition, Chinese - that is the culture. In our project, we decided to take a closer look the tea traditions of England. English - one of the nations who drink much tea in the world: they drink 120,000,000 cups of tea daily according to the research by UK Tea Council! In modern English, even there is a term of a person who is tea addicted - a tea-aholic.
HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH TEA.
The whole world knows how the British love tea. It seems that the British drank tea at all times. But it was not. Known worldwide tea time appeared only in the XIX century and it became an integral part of life in Great Britain. Before the British began to drink tea after dinner, they ate only twice a day.
One of the first mentions of tea in British culture refers to 1597. Historians have discovered English translation of travel written by Dutch traveler Van Lin-Shutena.
In 1657 in England Trade Coffee House Harvey (Garway's Coffee House) opened permanent tea trade in London. East India trade campaign opens London tea auction (which still exists).
1658 – There existed wide tea advertising. This is a typical advertising in the newspaper at that time: «This is an excellent and recommended by Chinese doctors drink called Chinese Tcha, by other nations Tay, and also known as Tea. Get it in the coffee shop, "Head of the Sultan!"
1662 - Charles II married Princess Catherine of Braganza of Portugal. In the form of a wedding she presents him the city of Bombay and the habit of tea drinking. It is believed that due to Katharine Europeans gained access to drinking it black tea. The main and the only tea suppliers in England are Dutch.
The middle of the 18th century is the peak of the tea smuggling and counterfeiting. There introduced imprisonment for falsification of tea.
1773 - English Parliament passed a "Tea Act" provides the right to free trade in the colonies of the East India Company.
In 1802 tea became a compulsory diet of the British armed forces.
1823 - On a secret mission of the British government, Charles Bruce brought smuggled tea seeds and seedlings from China. It was the first attempt to tea cultivation in greenhouses.
1826 – there invented the first tea-box packaging paper. Capsule sealed and supplied with a trademark has been done to protect their products from counterfeiting. The inventor was John Horniman.
1840 - Anna, Duchess of Bedford, entered the fashion among the aristocracy afternoon tea.
In England in 1851, the law which supports the sale of tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, lemonade is published. This law also became known as "the law of the five o'clock tea" because there was a clause that states that all employees, workers and sailors at exactly 500 must make a 15-minute break for tea. That compulsion became famous British tradition later.
1897 – There appeared and secured new English tradition - morning Lunch with a traditional morning tea.
ENGLISH TEA TRADITIONS.
According to the British ideas about the culture of tea drinking, the table, regardless of the time of day, is always served with different kinds of tea, so that everyone can choose the tea according to the preferences and mood. This is an expression of respect which permeated the entire ritual of English tea.
Selected tea brewed in a teapot to rinse with boiling water individually, even if you use the tea bags. Welding, irrespective of grade, must infuse for 3-5 minutes; otherwise the tea will not reveal all its advantages. While the tea is brewed, the table is served with milk, sugar, lemon, etc., as well as a separate kettle of boiling water - to dilute the tea to the required level of the fortress. As the cooling water kettles replaced by new ones - it is also considered to be a manifestation of respect.
The British did not drink tea with lemon, calling it "the Russian tea". But "white tea", that is with milk, they drink a lot and often. At first, cup is poured with cream or milk (a quarter cup), and then - strong tea. This rule came from the fact that the British were afraid to spoil white porcelain cups with strong tea. Fine porcelain cups seemed so thin and fragile that the British were afraid to damage them. So first they poured milk into a cup, and then the hot tea. Sugar became popular in England almost simultaneously with tea. In our time, it served a bowl of white sugar in pieces, tongs and teaspoons. After stirring a teaspoon should be taken from the cup and placed on the tray, not on the saucer, because English cup is hold in one hand, and the other hand supports the saucer.
TIME TO DRINK TEA!
Contrary to the opinion that the daily schedule of a typical Englishman depends on drinking tea time, the British drink tea at any time as well as in Russia and young people generally prefer coffee. However, we’d like to present the traditional time of tea drinking in England (as it was before the era of eternal haste, when people could really afford to be interrupted by 6 times a day for the chance of drinking your favorite beverage).
The English drink tea six times a day, and each time of day has its own variety of tea and tea traditions:
- Morning, the earliest tea, drink about six o'clock in the morning, sometimes straight in bed. The habit of "early morning cup" - the early cup of tea before washing and dressing - arose from the damp climate of England, famous for its morning mists. English wake up early, at 6-7 o'clock in the morning, and a cup of strong tea is just a need to wake up;
- Then the tea is served about eight, at the first light breakfast. The British prefer to drink tea which is called «English Breakfast».
- Later, at eleven or twelve, it is time to "lunch”. The British cannot have it without tea.
- The fourth time the English drink tea is in the middle of the working day, making a short break, which is called «tea break». This tradition exists in our days.
- At five o'clock in the evening is the famous «five-o'clock tea». Millions of people, from a humble servant to the Queen, drink tea flavored generously with milk or cream.
- Evening after work is time of «high tea».
The classical tea ceremony is served with traditional meal: thin, triangular or rectangular sandwiches (finger sandwiches) with butter and cucumber, traditional British scones, dry fruits baked right before tea time. At the "high" tea table (high afternoon tea) there is always a large selection of fresh pastries, which is traditionally served in a special bookcase. Assortment of cakes typically includes fruit cake, Victorian Cake (Victoria sponge), chocolate cake, ginger bread, biscuits, baskets of fresh fruit and more.
DO YOU KNOW THAT…
... Tea is grown in England. Tea bushes grow in England for a long time - but only for decorative or scientific purposes. The British tea companies have tea plantations in Ceylon and India?
... In 1996, in Cornwall, in the village of Tregotnan (Tregothnan) there began work on the design of the first in England tea plantation?
... English tea is a red tea?
... Twinings is the oldest English tea company. Nowadays, Twinings imports tea from India, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia and Brazil. The company prepares 198 their own mixed teas which are exported to 115 countries in Europe, America and Asia?
... In the center of London there is the company store Twinings. It is the oldest tea shop in England. It is located at the same spot where Thomas Twining opened the first cafe, where tea was served in 1706?
... the British (population of the United Kingdom is about 59 million people), daily drink 165 million cups of tea, while 98% of people drink tea with milk, but only 30% of them added sugar in the tea?
And finally, here are some of the most used idioms with the word "tea":
To be one's cup of tea - to be something that one prefers or desires (something that you enjoy or you prefer).
• This spy novel is just my cup of tea. Teaching children to read is just my cup of tea.
And accordingly, on the contrary:
It's not my cup of tea.
• Hip-Hop is definitely not my cup of tea.
Not for all the tea in China - you will never do that no matter what could persuade you (you will not do anything for nothing in the world)
• I would not wear this ugly skirt for all the tea in China.
To be as good as a chocolate teapot - to be completely useless (to be absolutely useless)
• The new diet you've advised me is as good as a chocolate teapot.