FEBRUARY 2023

CULTURE & HISTORY
Chai
Al-Iraqi
Iraq’s love affair
with tea
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
As one of the world’s most popular beverages,
tea has fascinated us, stimulated us, motivated
us, and calmed us for well over two thousand
years. Tea, or “chai,” as we call it in Iraq, is an
authentic part of the local heritage. The Iraq’s long
love affair with tea is amazing and historic, although
it is difficult to cultivate in Iraq because it needs special
environmental conditions.
The history of tea includes the compelling story
of the rise of tea in Asia and its eventual spread to
the West and beyond. From the Chinese tea houses of
the ancient Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Japanese
tea ceremonies developed by Zen Buddhist monks,
and the current social issues faced by tea growers in
India and Sri Lanka—this fascinating story explores
the history of this universal drink.
The tea story is infused with a blend of myth and
fact and is colored by ancient concepts of spirituality
and philosophy. According to legend, tea has been
known in China since about 2700 BCE. For millennia
it was a medicinal beverage obtained by boiling fresh
leaves in water, but around the 3rd century it became a
daily drink, and tea cultivation and processing began.
Tea holds a place near and dear to nearly every
culture on the face of this Earth. It is an affordable,
simple, and pleasant way to refresh, to enhance
natural immune mechanisms, and to preserve health
and beauty. Each cup of tea is a perfectly balanced
combination of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and
biologically active substances that increase vitality
and improve health.
Today, tea is the world’s most popular beverage
after water.
Whatever your cup of tea—green, black, white,
oolong, chai, Japanese, Chinese, Sri Lankan, American
or British—every tea aficionado will enjoy learning
more about their favorite beverage.
All the tea in China
According to William Shakespeare, “the most pleasant
things in life happen by chance,” and it was
chance that made the discovery of tea such an interesting
story. From imperial China to colonial America,
many myths and legends surround the history
Chai with Quori and Istikan
and chemistry of tea.
Whatever the legend, tracing tea’s original roots
proves difficult. It is probable that the tea plant originated
in regions around southwest China, Tibet, and
northern India. Chinese traders may have traveled
throughout these regions often and encountered
people chewing tea leaves for medicinal purposes.
For tea to become so important, someone had to
start drinking the leaves of the tea plant infused in
water. Although it is impossible to know who had
this crazy idea for the first time, a few legends offer
explanation.
According to Chinese legend, tea was born in 2727
BC, when the Emperor Shen Nong was purifying water
in the shelter of a tea tree and several leaves blew
into the pot. The resulting brew, of superb fragrance,
color, and taste, made the emperor rejoice. Tea soon
became a daily drink in Chinese culture and the emperor
is said to have praised the merits of tea and
contributed to its popularity.
In India, another legend tells the story of Prince
Dharma, who left his homeland for China to preach
Buddhism. He vowed not to sleep during his 9-year
mission. Toward the end of his third year, when he
was overtaken by fatigue, he grabbed a few leaves of
a tea shrub and chewed them up. They gave him the
strength necessary to stay awake for the remaining 6
years of his mission.
Whatever legend one chooses to believe, all research
on the subject tends to place the origins of tea,
as both a plant and as a beverage, in China.
For love of chai
The love story between Iraqis and tea was born, by
many accounts, during the British occupation of Iraq
in the years of World War I between 1914-1918.
Iraqis are addicted to black tea. It is often sweetened,
either with sugar (lots of sugar) or honey or jam
and is always served hot, even in hot weather or as a
thirst–quencher. On their happy and sad occasions,
in their visits or as hosts, in their formal and informal
meetings, and in negotiations, there is hardly a gathering
of Iraqis without their favorite hot drink: tea,
otherwise known as chai.
24 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2023