Masala Chai

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Tea seller in Calcutta : a chai wallah

Masala Chai ( Hindi मसाला चाय Masala Cay [ mʌsɑːlɑː tʃɑːi ] "spiced") referred to throughout South Asia , a drink made from black tea , milk, sugar and spice mixture .

Etymology and distribution of the word "Chai"

Tea originally comes from China. While the sign for tea is pronounced chá in northern Chinese dialects , the pronunciation in Min Nan in southern China and chàh in Cantonese .

The Dutch seafarers imported the tea from the Fujian province , bringing the Malaysian-Cantonese pronunciation tea to Western Europe and into all Western European languages. Overland, the northern Chinese pronunciation cha or chai spread along the Silk Road to India, Persia, the Arab countries, the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Tea infusions are called chai ( चाय ) in Hindi , chiya in Nepali , in Russian the tea plant is called " чай " (pronounced: Tschai ) and tea infusions are sometimes also called this in many Eastern European languages. The Greek spelling is " τσάι ", the Turkish spelling is çay , Arabic الشاي, DMG aš-šāy . Chai is also the word for tea in Ethiopia and in Swahili-speaking East Africa.

The tea preparations of other countries differ from the Indian Masala Chai. Turkish çay , like the drink of most Arab countries, is black with sugar. In the tea culture of the Maghreb countries , Chai is understood to mean green tea with mint. In the scouts and in the Bundische Jugend , Tschai describes a mixed drink made from black tea, wine or grape juice , orange juice and other juices, nuts and fruit (mostly dried fruit ).

Meaning of the word "Masala"

In India, masala means “mixture”, especially a mixture of spices. It also describes a melodramatic genre of Indian feature films that consists of a plot and dance interludes. In the Arab countries on the Persian Gulf , Indian labor migrants spread the Masala Chai, which is known here under the name karak chai , "strong tea".

Composition and preparation

Ingredients for classic masala chai

There is neither a set recipe nor a specific preparation method for masala chai, and many Indian families have their own recipe. The basic components of every masala chai preparation are strong black tea, the taste of which is not completely masked by the various spices, as well as sugar and milk. There are also spices such as cardamom , cinnamon , ginger , peppercorns , Indian bay leaves , cloves and nutmeg .

The preparation varies depending on the recipe. Often the spices are first boiled with water in a saucepan, before tea, milk and sugar are added and the whole thing is boiled again. Then the pot is removed from the stove and left to stand for a few minutes before the solid components are separated off and the tea is served.

Similar drinks

  • Butter tea , black tea with butter that is drunk north of the Himalayas

Web links

Commons : Chai  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikibooks: Chai Cookbook  - Learning and Teaching Materials (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ČĀY. In: Encyclopædia Iranica