Erika RappaportErika Rappaport’s study of tea meticulously documents the many ways in which tea, as it became one of the first global commodities, was responsible for so many aspects of modern life. In the course of our conversation, it became obvious that there is no single reason why the Brits turned to tea. They were drinking roughly equal amounts of tea and coffee to begin with, long before coffee leaf rust arrived in Ceylon, but it was mostly Chinese tea. When the British East India Company decided to try their hand growing tea in Assam, they came up against one big problem: back home, nobody much liked the taste of Indian tea. Persuading them to change their minds was a massive undertaking involving racist rhetoric, fearmongering, and little glimpses of heaven on earth. And it worked.
“Comparative Consumption,” Sir James Buckingham, A Few Facts about Indian Tea and How to Brew It(London: Indian Tea Association, 1910, p. 4. British Library shelf mark 07076.48 (4).
Notes
Erika Rappaport shared just a few stories from tea’s not so glorious history. There is masses more in her book, and if you’re looking for a long read in which to lose yourself (or a loved one), I highly recommend A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the Modern World.
Not entirely by chance, I also watched a video of William Dalrymple talking about his newish book The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire. Tea barely gets a look in, but there is so much else to digest.
There is now a transcript, thanks to the show’s supporters
Tea, anyone? Jeremy delves into how Brits make tea, and vice versa.
More tea? Lawrie Taylor looks at the dark side.
Want to know what the soil is like on African tea farms? Try iSDAsoil. Let the mashing up with crop accession locality data begin…
Want to know what happened to those other seeds that came out of China?
Eat This Podcast has been going since March 2013. That’s a long time in podcast world. In that time, it has twice been nominated for a James Beard Award, although it remains a labour of love rather than a search for glory.
I am a biologist with a keen interest in food and agriculture. Eat This Podcast allows me to pursue my interests and share what I find.
I owe an immense debt of gratitude to all the guests who agree to be on the show, to the professional broadcasters who trained me, and to the software that allows me to do all this myself.
Subscribe here to get an email for each new episode. Between episodes, Eat This Newsletter brings you a selection of choice items I’ve found.
You will need to confirm your subscription, so look out for that and, maybe, check your spam folder.
[…] anyone? Jeremy delves into how Brits made tea, and vice […]
#NationalTeaDay you say? Just how did the Brits become a nation of tea drinkers? It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.
eatthispodcast.com/tea-brits/
#NationalTeaDay you say? Just how did the Brits become a nation of tea drinkers? It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.
eatthispodcast.com/tea-brits/
As an Asian-Brit and a tea lover, I really enjoyed listening to Eat This Podcast on Tea by @jeremycherfas.
Tea is really the perfect substitute for alocholic drink. eatthispodcast.com/tea-brits/
Took a while to finish brewing, but there is now a transcript of the episode on How the Brits became a nation of tea drinkers, at https://t.
Took a while to finish brewing, but there is now a transcript of the episode on How the Brits became a nation of tea drinkers, at https://t.
Took a while to finish brewing, but there is now a transcript of the episode on How the Brits became a nation of tea drinkers, at https://t.
How the Brits became a nation of tea drinkers eatthispodcast.com/tea-brits/
Tea, anyone? Jeremy delves into how Brits make tea, and vice versa.
More tea? Lawrie Taylor looks at the dark side.
Want to know what the soil is like on African tea farms? Try iSDAsoil. Let the mashing up with crop accession locality data begin…
Want to know what happened to those other seeds that came out of China?
Anyone for tea? Hold your nose…
And follow up with @EatPodcast eatthispodcast.com/tea-brits/
.@EatPodcast Interviews UCSB historian @rappaport8 to learn how Britons became a nation of tea drinkers. eatthispodcast.com/tea-brits/
Pour a cup of tea and enjoy some history with me.
twitter.com/eatpodcast/sta…