The Story of Pink Tea In World’s Largest Tea Importing Nation (Pakistan)
Tea is the most consumed beverage after water. No exception in the world’s largest tea importing nation, Pakistan as well. On cold winter evenings in Lahore’s Lakshmi Chowk, a bustling marketplace well known for street food, tea vendors sell a pink tea beverage known as Kashmiri chai. Here Green tea becomes rosy with the addition of a special ingredient.
Pink Tea has got a savory taste that belies its strawberry-milkshake appearance. The millennial-pink beverage is very famous, as both a drink and a color. In Pakistan, upscale cafes sell this wonderful beverage cheesecake, and “tea pink” is a trendy shade for wedding outfits, men’s shirts, and even lingerie.
Originally a Himalayan drink, pink beverage goes by different names across South Asia, some which reference its unusual color and flavor, from nun chai (salt tea) to gulabi chai (rose-hued tea). Salt and baking soda are key ingredients. Salt acts as an electrolyte to prevent dehydration at high altitudes, and baking soda is the catalyst that turns it pink. Infused with spices such as star anise, Cinnamon, cardamom and topped with crushed nuts, the tea is ideal for cold climatic conditions. In Northern Pakistan, nun chai is drunk piping hot several times a day, accompanied by an array of breads: crispy kulcha, dimpled girda, or bagel-like tsochwor.
Preparation
The first step, a prolonged boiling of green tea leaves with baking soda. Certain fermented teas, when boiled with a pinch of soda, change color from amber to deep maroon. Scientists call that an acid-base reaction, where sodium bicarbonate neutralizes mildly acidic tea, enhancing the color but also taking the edge off its astringent tannins.
The second step, Once the tea turns burgundy, the liquid is shocked with ice or cold water to preserve the color. When milk is added, the tea turns pink. At this point the boiling liquid is repeatedly poured back into the pot with a ladle and vigorously aerated, a technique similar to frothing milk for coffee. This beverage is traditionally made in a copper samovar.
Read More About Pink Beverage: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/kashmir-pink-tea
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References
- Original Post: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/kashmir-pink-tea
