Tea is one of the most wanted beverages worldwide. According to statistics, more people drink tea than coffee. More than 25,000 cups of tea are consumed by people every second, globally. Therefore, it is crucial for you to know a few things about tea, especially what it is called in different countries and some tea traditions. Have a look!
Tea Pronunciation Worldwide
The word “tea” can be traced back to China. Nowadays, we use multiple terms to describe ‘tea’; such as chai, cha, te, tea, or té. As ‘tea’ is the most commonly used term internationally, thus the list starts with the same.
a. Tea – The most frequently used word and its variations
Tea is a word that is used in languages such as English, Basque, Tamil, and Hungarian. Variations of this word are used by different people like Finnish and Afrikaans call it ‘tee’. Dutch people pronounce it as ‘thee’, Germans call it ‘der Tee’, and Esperanto call it ‘teo’.
b. Chai – Second most used variation
Languages in which tea is called ‘chai’ include Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Slovenian, Slovak, Persian, Bulgarian, Russian, Arabic, Macedonian, and Azerbaijani. Some languages even have variations of “chai” such as Romanians say ‘ceai’, Ukrainians say ‘chay’, Thai people call it ‘chah’, Greeks call it tsai and Arabics pronounce it as ‘shai’, etc.
c. Cha, Te, and Té – A small population pronounce it these ways
Another word for tea is ‘cha’ for languages like Bengali, Korean, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Sinhalese. Some languages have variations in the pronunciation of ‘cha’ which include the South Vietnamese language where it is pronounced as ‘ja’, in the North Vietnamese language it is pronounced as ‘che’. In Somali, it is pronounced as ‘shah’, etc.
‘Te’ is pronounced as ‘teh’ among the Armenians, Italians, Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish, Welsh, Maltese, Swedish, Malay, Hebrew, and Indonesian language families.
‘Té’ is how tea is pronounced by Haitian Creole, Galician, and Catalan language speakers. The variations used for this particular term consist of ‘tae’ in Irish, ‘le thé’ in French and ‘teja’ in Latvian which is pronounced as Tay-ya. The Spanish people pronounce it as ‘la-tay’; it is spelt as ‘la té’. Luxembourgish people call it ‘Téi’, and the Yiddish populace calls it ‘tey’.
Popular Tea Traditions
India is known for being a massive producer and consumer of tea. The most popular tea tradition in the USA that is “masala chai” comes from India. It involves a mixture of several spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, cardamom, cloves and other seasonings with tea leaves. It has numerous health benefits, and its distinct rich flavor makes it popular worldwide.
- Russian Tea Recipe and Tradition
In Russia, tea is called ‘Zavarka’. It contains concentrated loose tea leaves, which is brewed in small metal pot/container known as ‘samovar’. This remarkably strong tea is served in a mug in a small quantity along with some cookies or crackers.
‘Gongfu’ is a traditional Chinese tea which involves an incredibly detailed procedure. It includes usage of items such as a brewing tray, strainers, tea towels, tongs, tureen, etc. Moreover, guests are invited to smell the leaves before the brewing process.
Now you not only know about what tea is called in different countries but are also aware of the three most popular tea traditions around the world. Thus, order some for yourself and start to enjoy it!