Many years ago when we will lived in the Tea estates in the Dooars and Terai belt, I remember as a child hearing that the staff and the labourers used to have black Tea with salt. It surprised me no end and I remember making an unpleasant face as soon as I got to know about it.
Years later, the words salt and Tea became a part of conversations with my mother, when I suffered a bad case of sore throat and fever. She mentioned how her grandmother used to make Tea with salt and that would bring relief to the throat.
Three years ago while covid was still rampant and we were stuck in the four walls of our warm home, our lovely lady who cleans the house mentioned that at home, they used to and still do make Tea with ghee and salt. I was beyond surprised. This took me back to all the conversations i had in the past few years of this strange combination. And so we made the Tea with ghee and salt. It was this soothing balm that made me breathe in deep. Nourishing and warm. I shall share the recipe at the end of this note.
But before I write any further, let me tell you a little about the regions that have been combining the two for years and sipping it with love and hope. Tibetans have been enjoying Butter Tea which they call Po Cha, for years now, includes Tea, salt, milk, cheese.
They use a wooden churning tube for making the Tea. One first breaks the brick Tea, adds it to water, boils it and then strains the Tea. The Tea is then added to the tube followed by adding yak butter, salt, milk or cheese or sometimes both. It is churned so that everything mixes evenly.
In Mongolia too, Suutei tsai which is a salty milk Tea is their staple beverage. Bhutan also savours salty Tea just like Po Cha which is called Sujn Tea. Noon chai which is sipped in Kashmir, is also a salty Tea that is pink in color and has baking soda in it as well.
Similarly some parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan at times consume their Tea with the addition of salt.
Some say it enhances flavour, some say it is beneficial for oral hygiene while other also believe that it acts as a digestive aid.
The Tuareg who are a Berber ethnic group primarily inhabiting the Sahara desert across several North African countries, are known for their nomadic lifestyle and distinctive blue clothing. Tea which is known as “Atai” in the Tuareg language is a central part of their social life and hospitality. It is typically a strong green tea, to which mint and sugar is added. In some of the interiors of North African region, sometimes they add salt to their Tea.
This could be to replace lost minerals that happen while sweating in the hot desert climate.
Rural parts of Turkey also add salt to their cups of black Tea and the same goes for parts of Russia.
The concept of mixing salt with Tea goes back centuries, it is just that it is something that is uncommon and with the increase in the usage of sugar and honey, Tea seems to be only paired with the two or with jiggery or stevia.
Now for the recipe! I am sincerely hoping now that monsoon is here, you will try it and let me know how you felt after you sipped it.
Ingredients:
Water – 200 ml
Black Tea – 1 teaspoon
Walnuts – 1 walnut chopped roughly into pieces.
Ghee- 1 teaspoon
Salt- a pinch
Method:
Heat the water until it begins to boil. Add the Tea leaves to it and allow it to boil further for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped walnut pieces along with ghee and salt. Boil for another minute. Remove from the stove. Pour into a mug and sip.
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I read somewhere, “Tea without salt is like languages without proverbs."
May we continue to try new things while appreciating the old.
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