Amidst the din and bustle of a crowd in constant motion, the roaring of motorbikes and moving autos and the tinkering bells of the rickshaws that barely have enough space for their wheels to move is where is found the main flavors of India- in the streets. There could be palatial restaurants or hotels that may boast of their expensive menus listing the best of the traditional cuisines, but this I can add with certainty that roam the streets and the bazaars of India and you will find the heart of its most sought and beloved delicacies, ‘masala chai’ being one of them. Strewn across the streets are miniature tea joints with a number of customers hoarding the tea shops for their most favored ‘masala chai’. For tea lovers, it is nothing short of a ‘manna’.
Spices have forever been the jewels on our crowns as Indians. Adding specific spices to specific recipes is now inculcated in our tradition. We have seen our mothers and grandmothers put spices into our cuisines as an almost involuntary action, something that has been done for generations and carried forward for centuries. Like adding turmeric powder to most of our cuisines. The same can be said for masala tea. But tracing back and flipping through the pages of history, we find that the ‘masalas’ used since the days of yore as you may call them was for a reason. Apart from adding to the luscious taste and aroma and colour, the spices used have innumerable health benefits and were used extensively as herbal medicines and in Ayurveda to treat a number of diseases in the olden days. And the tradition stayed. All those years ago, as most of you might know, it was the lure of spices that had many European countries invade India. And somehow, I find ‘masala’ tea a unique mix of tradition between the Europeans and the Indians.
No matter how much times change or how many new ‘tea lattes’ are introduced in India, there is nothing that can replace the good old traditional ‘masala chai’. The crunching sound of grounded spices comprising cardamom, pearls of black pepper, cinnamon, cloves along with the added flavor of ginger, the gurgling warm milk on the stove, the couple of teaspoonful of Assam or Darjeeling black tea leaves, and sugar strained against a strainer onto a ‘matka’ cup is and will always remain the most loved drink in India- the one drink that can breathe strength to any weary soul.
(Read about Tea Strainers)
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