Fascinating
facts about the invention
of Tea by Chinese
Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC. |
TEA |
|
 |
What kind of world would this be without tea?
There would be no teapot or teakettle if tea had never been discovered. There would be no
teacup, teaspoon, or tea towel, and no tea time. Two of the world’s most famous
parties would have been canceled: The colonists could not have held the Boston Tea Party
in 1773, throwing 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. And Lewis Carroll 's Alice in
Wonderland would say nothing of the Mad Hatter’s and March Hare’s tea party.
Luckily, tea was discovered in 2737 b.c. by a great Chinese emperor named Shen Nung. |
| One day Shen Nung was boiling water
outside when leaves from a nearby bush fell into the open kettle. Before Shen Nung could
retrieve the leaves, they began to brew. He smelled the sweet aroma of the mixture and
once he tasted it, the world was given tea! Tea is the most popular beverage in the world
today-after plain water. It was introduced in Europe in 1610, and until about two hundred
years ago, people in many Asian countries used blocks or bricks of tea as money. |
TO
LEARN MORE
History of Snacks and
Food from The Great Idea Finder
ON THE BOOKSHELF:
Mistakes
That Worked
by Charlotte Foltz Jones, John O'Brien (Illustrator) / Paperback - 48
pages (1994) / Doubleday
Recounting the fascinating stories behind the invention of familiar objects and
products.
The Herb Tea
Book: Blending, Brewing, and Savoring Teas for Every Mood and Occasion
by Susan Clotfelter / Paperback: 130 pages / Interweave Press; (September 1998)
This book demystifies the tea-blending process, encouraging readers to create
aromatic teas fromthe recipes included or to mix and match their own special concoctions.
The 40 recipes are categorized by occasion, with teas for energizing, relaxing,
celebrating, and nurturing.
ON THE WEB:
Chinese Legendary Origins of Tea
The origins of tea as handed down to us from Chinese sources date back to approximately
the year 2737 B.C.E.
(URL: www.teatalk.com/china/shnung1.htm)
Tea . . .
The Divine Cha
Legend has it that in the year 2737 B.C., the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was boiling
a pot
of water to purify it for drinking and some leaves drifted from the sky into the water,
producing a
wondrous aroma.
(URL: w3.trib.com/~kombu/konnection/tea.html)
Tea Reaches Europe
Early seventeenth-century Dutch and Portuguese traders were the first to
introduce Chinese tea to Europe. From the Twinings Tea Web site.
(URL: www.twinings.com/en_int/history_tradition/europe.asp)
Boston Tea Party
On a cold December night in 1773, a group of rebellious American
colonists some 5,000 strong marched from the Old South Meeting House to
Griffin's Wharf on Boston Harbor in protest of the British tax on
imported tea. From the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum.
(URL: www.bostonteapartyship.com/robinsonteachest.asp)
American history of Iced Tea
There are two traditional iced teas in the United States. The only
variation between them is sugar.
(URL: whatscookingamerica.net/History/IcedTeaHistory.htm)
Chinese Medicine
(This page removed
from web. publish.gio.gov.tw)
Shen Nung
died after ingesting some poisonous herbs, but the
information he discovered lived on to become the basis of Chinese medicine.
|
| Reference
Sources in BOLD Type |
This
page revised August 12, 2005. |
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