Tea has a very old history that begins in ancient China. According to a legend, a farmer named Shennong was looking for food in the forest and accidentally poisoned himself many times. A leaf fell into his mouth, and when he chewed it, he felt better. This leaf was tea. The legend is not completely true, but it shows how important tea was in Chinese culture.
Archaeological studies suggest that tea was first grown in China about 6,000 years ago, long before the Egyptian pyramids were built. At the beginning, tea was not a drink. People ate the leaves like a vegetable or cooked them in porridge. Tea only became a drink about 1,500 years ago when people learned that hot water and the tea leaves produced a pleasant taste.
Over time, tea preparation changed. The leaves were heated, pressed into cakes, ground into powder, and mixed with hot water. This drink was called “muo cha,” or matcha. Tea became very popular, inspiring poetry, art, and even foam drawings, similar to modern coffee art.
In the 9th century, a Japanese monk brought the first tea plant to Japan, where people later developed their own special tea ceremony.
Vocabulary:
• weary (adj.) : very tired
• revive (verb) : to bring back to life or energy
• mythical (adj.) : from a legend, not real
• archaeological (adj.) : related to the study of ancient objects
• cultivate (verb) : to grow plants
• porridge (noun) : a hot food made with grains and water
• moisture (noun) : a small amount of water
• beverage (noun) : a drink
• Dynasty (noun) : period when one family ruled a country
Source: TED-ed