Cultural Tea Traditions Around the World

文/埃琳娜·张 玛尔塔·洛佩斯·加西亚 译/亢德喜

The history of tea has ancient roots, steeped in1be steeped in深受……的影响。generations of Asian culture and traditions beginning as early as 2000 BC. Indigenous2indigenous（动植物分布等）土生土长的。to the mountainous region of Yunnan in southwestern China, tea is now cultivated and enjoyed in all corners of the world.There are over a thousand subvarieties of the Camellia sinensis tea bush, each producing a different fl avor and personality.Lauded3laud称赞。for its health bene fi ts and calming properties, tea has proved its longevity in each of the countries below.

茶的历史久远，最早可追溯至公元前2000年，深受历代亚洲文化和传统的熏染。茶原产于中国西南部云南山区，如今种植并风靡世界各个角落。茶树亚种过千，味道特性各异。茶因具保健安神功效，在以下诸国备受推崇，经久不衰。

China

[2] According to Chinese legend, it was Emperor Shen Nong44神农氏，中国传说中农业和医药的发明者和守护神。who first discovered tea some 5000 years ago. As the emperor was boiling water, some dried leaves from a tree fell into his pot, and the emperor developed a liking for the beverage’s vitality and flavor. However,tea was likely utilized long before then as a medicinal remedy, mixed with various herbs to produce a pharmacological5pharmacological药物学的。concoction66 concoction调配品（尤指饮料或药物）。. The in fl uence of religion and the uni fi cation of China managed to popularize tea around the country, fi rst among the upper class and then among the masses,with the advent of77 the advent of （重要事件、物品）出现，发生tea houses during the Ming Dynasty. With each changing dynasty, the preparation and use of tea evolved, from solid cakes of compressed tea to loose leaf. Today, tea in China is an integral part of everyday life; the most popular type of tea is green, followed by oolong and pu-erh (fermented88 ferment酝酿；发酵。tea). Black tea was never very popular among the Chinese, having been reserved only for foreign export in the past. The practice of serving tea is ritualized in thegong futea service, a tradition that has continued to thrive in modern times.

中国

[2]按照中国的传说，在距今约5000年前，神农氏最早发现了茶。传说神农氏生火煮水时，一些干树叶飘落入罐中，神农氏逐渐喜欢上这种饮品的提神功效和味道。然而，早在此之前，茶很可能已被当作药材使用，与各类草药混合制成药剂。宗教的影响以及国家的统一推动茶在中国各地流行开来，最初是在上层社会中，后来，随着明朝茶楼的出现，才走入寻常百姓家。随着朝代变迁，茶的制作和使用也在演变，从压缩茶饼转变为散茶叶。时至今日，茶成了中国人日常生活中必不可少的物品。最流行的是绿茶，其次是乌龙茶和普洱茶（发酵茶）。红茶在中国从未普遍流行，过去一直只用于出口。工夫茶的泡制已成定式，这一茶艺传统在现代社会依然盛行。

Japan

[3] Tea was introduced to Japan during the 12th century by Chinese monks and Zen Buddhists99另说是日本遣使和学问僧将茶引入日本。, teaching Japanese priests the philosophical appreciation of the simple beverage. At fi rst, tea was reserved for the emperor’s court and high officials. It wasn’t until the 16th century, when Sen Rikyū100 千利休（1522—1591），日本著名茶道宗师，人称“茶圣”。codified Japanese tea principles, that tea became a ubiquitous part of the culture. The Japanese regarded drinking tea as high art, emphasizing the beauty in simplicity and the appreciation of the moment,incorporating the many ideals of Zen Buddhism into the practice. There’s no better place to practice this art than in the Japanese tea ceremony called Chanoyu (‘way of tea’), in which matcha powder (ground green tea leaves) is used to brew a frothy11frothy有泡沫的。, ethereal122 ethereal轻飘的，稀薄的。tea.

日本

[3]中国僧侣和禅宗教徒在公元12世纪将茶引入日本，并向日本僧侣传授这种简单饮品的品鉴哲学。起初，茶专供天皇宫廷和高级官员享用。直到16世纪，千利休创设日本茶道后，茶才成为随处可见的日本文化元素。日本人把饮茶视为高级艺术，强调简洁之美和体悟当下，并将许多禅宗理念融入茶艺。日本茶道是实践这种艺术的绝佳形式。茶道中使用抹茶粉（即碾磨成粉的绿茶叶）煮制的茶泡沫丰富，茶色缥缈。

England

[4] The Dutch East India Company133 荷兰1602年建立的具有国家职能、向东方进行殖民掠夺和垄断东方贸易的商业gave Europe its fi rst taste of tea during the 1600s, and England developed a craze14craze狂热；风行一时的东西。for it. After trade relations with China turned sour during the Opium Wars, England turned to India as its main tea supplier. Soon, England created its own style of preparing tea by adding milk and sugar, after hearing the untrue rumors that this was how the Chinese drank their tea (only the Manchus ever added milk to their tea). The famous ‘afternoon tea’ trend arrived in the 19th century, when it was common for only two meals to be served per day. The English grew hungry waiting for dinner, and became fond of having an assortment155 assortment花色品种。of sweets with tea and lemon in the after-noon. England is now one of the largest consumers of tea outside of China today,consuming mostly black teas like Earl Grey and English Breakfast16均为英国知名红茶。.

英格兰

[4]荷兰东印度公司在17世纪首次将茶引入欧洲，英格兰逐渐为之着迷。鸦片战争期间，英格兰与中国贸易关系恶化，于是转将印度作为茶叶主要供应地。不久后，英格兰发明了独具特色的制茶方式，在茶里添加牛奶和糖，这源于当时误传中国人如此饮茶，而实际上只有满族人在茶里加奶。著名的“下午茶”风潮兴起于19世纪，彼时英国人普遍一天只吃两餐。英国人等不到晚餐时间就饥饿难耐，于是渐渐习惯在下午享用一些甜点，配以茶和柠檬。时至今日，英格兰是除中国之外的茶叶消费大国之一，消费的主要是红茶，比如伯爵茶和英式早餐茶。

India

[5] India is the largest producer of tea in the world today, and it’s mostly due to the influence of Britain during the1818 fennel茴香。00s. Initially, Britain attempted to cultivate Chinese tea bushes in India, which proved largely unsuccessful due to differences in climate (except for the region of Darjeeling in the Himalayas). It was soon discovered that India already had its own indigenous tea bush that grew in Assam Valley in northeastern India. Although India never developed the highly elaborate tea rituals like those of China or Japan, tea was still very much a part of everyday life. Black tea is often prepared with milk, sugar, and spices such as cardamom1717 cardamom豆蔻干籽（用作调味料）。, fennel1818 fennel茴香。, and cloves19clove丁香。(known as ‘chai’ tea in the west).

印度

[5]印度是当今世界最大的茶叶生产国，这在很大程度上是19世纪受英国影响的结果。起初，英国尝试在印度种植中国茶树，但由于气候差异，这些尝试基本没有取得成功，只有喜马拉雅山脉的大吉岭地区例外。不久后，人们发现印度也有原产茶树，生长于印度东北地区阿萨姆谷地。尽管印度从未像中国和日本那样发展出精深的茶艺，但茶仍是印度人日常生活的重要组成部分。印度红茶通常辅以牛奶、糖以及豆蔻、茴香、丁香等调味料饮用，在西方被称为 chai。

Russia

[6] Tea trade routes along the silk road brought Chinese tea to Russia during the 17th century. These trade journeys, composed of camels and caravans200 caravan（尤指穿越沙漠的）旅行队，车队。, would often take over a year to complete, making tea highly expensive and reserved only for high society. The completion of the Siberian Railroad in 1880 changed all that, making tea widely available to the working class. Russian tea has become synonymous with the samovar21〈俄语〉萨莫瓦（音），茶炉，代指俄式茶炊。, a tall urn used to boil water. On top of the samovar sits a teapot, which contains highly concentrated black tea called zavarka2222〈俄语〉扎瓦卡（音），浓茶汤。. When it is time to serve tea, a small amount of zavarka is poured into a tea cup, diluted23dilute（加水等使液体或颜色）变稀，变淡。by hot water poured from a spigot244 spigot龙头。in the samovar.

俄罗斯

[6] 17世纪，中国茶叶经由丝绸之路的茶叶贸易传入俄罗斯。这些商贸之旅由骆驼和商队组成，往往一趟就要一年多。茶叶因此价格高昂，专供上流社会享用。1880年，西伯利亚铁路建成，这一切才随之改变，茶叶从此普及至工人阶级。茶炊——一种用于煮水的高壶，已成为俄罗斯茶文化的代名词。茶炊顶部是一个茶壶，内盛被称作“扎瓦卡”的高浓缩红茶。沏茶的时候，茶杯中倒入少量“扎瓦卡”，再从茶炊壶嘴处接入热水加以稀释。

United States of America

[7] The American relationship with tea had a tumultuous beginning. As Britain’s colony during the early 1700s, America was forced to pay exorbitant255 exorbitant（价格、费用等）过高taxes on British exports such as tea in order to make up for the high costs of shipping.The colonists revolted, culminating in the Boston Tea Party of 1773, where over 300 chests of tea were dumped into the Boston Harbor. Shortly after winning the Revolution, the US began to trade directly with China, and tea became the most widely consumed beverage up until World War II. Iced tea became a most popular way to prepare the drink, originating during the hot summer of the 1904 World’s Fair.

美国

[7]美国与茶的关系肇始于动乱。18世纪初，美国还是英国的殖民地，被强制对茶叶等英国出口品缴纳重税，以补偿高昂的运输成本。殖民地居民不断反抗，终于在1773年爆发了波士顿倾茶事件，300多箱茶叶被倾倒入波士顿港。独立战争胜利后不久，美国开始直接与中国展开贸易，直到第二次世界大战爆发前，茶都是最受美国民众青睐的饮品。在1904年炎炎夏日中举办的圣路易斯世界博览会上出现了冰茶，这成了一种最受欢迎的茶饮。

Morocco

[8] The trading routes that brought tea to Russia also introduced the drink to Arab countries like Morocco. In Morocco, green tea is consumed with mint leaves and sugar, a refreshing beverage to consume in the hot and dry climate.Welcoming guests with a hot cup of mint tea is an important way to show hospitality. Tea is often served in colorful frosted26frosted毛面的；磨砂的。glasses, accompanied by an assortment of spiced nut and fruit pastries2727 pastry油酥糕点。.

摩洛哥

[8]将茶引入俄罗斯的商道也将茶传入了摩洛哥等阿拉伯国家。在摩洛哥，绿茶通常搭配薄荷叶和糖饮用，是干热气候里清爽怡神的饮品。以一杯热薄荷茶迎客是展现主人热情好客的重要方式。茶通常盛于彩色磨砂玻璃杯，佐茶小点包括五香坚果和水果糕点。

Thailand

[9] Who hasn’t tried a Thai tea? This is also one of the most popular teas in the world. It is made from strongly-brewed red tea that usually contains anise, red and yellow food colouring and sometimes other spices too. Thai tea is especially consumed in Southeast Asia and in lots of American and European restaurants that serve Vietnamese and Thai food.

泰国

[9]有人没尝过泰茶吗？泰茶也是全世界最受欢迎的茶饮之一。泰茶用香浓红茶制成，通常内含茴芹、红色和黄色食用色素，有时还加入其他调味料。泰茶在东南亚尤为盛行，欧美的许多越南菜和泰国菜餐馆也常供应。

Argentine

[10] People often say that if you want to know Argentine well you need to try its meat, its wine and itsmate.Yerba mateis the national drink of Agentina and it’s more than just a drink. It’s also a way of life. Even though it’s not really tea (it grows on a bush) whoever travels to this country will fi nd out that people drink it at any time of the day. ■

阿根廷

[10]常言说，想深入了解阿根廷，就要尝尝阿根廷的肉食、红酒和马黛茶。耶巴马黛茶是阿根廷的国民饮品。它不只是一种饮品，还是一种生活方式。耶巴马黛茶并非真正的乔木茶（它生长在灌木上），但到过阿根廷的人会发现，这里的人们随时都在饮耶巴马黛茶。 □