Tea is huge now. Even though as a kid I never enjoyed tea, I am now a big fan of it. And green tea is generally what I prefer, though, come winters, I don’t mind a cup of masala chai to warm my body.
A massive amount of tea is consumed each and every day in all corners of the world. Forget coffee — its production may be greater, but as a Springer study found three cups of tea are drunk for every cup of coffee, thus tea seems to be the preferred choice over a cup of java.
Not convinced? Consider this: according to a recently published infographic, 31% of people in the UK drink five or more cups of tea a day, with the large majority of tea drinkers having their first cup at the age of 5. That’s not all — the UK isn’t even among the top 3 tea-consuming countries in the world, as China, Turkey and Ireland are the biggest tea lovers in the world. And here I thought Indians would have made the top list. My family is big on tea and their day doesn’t begin if they haven’t sipped on at least two cups of tea before breakfast. The count is even more when the whole family is together.
While I generally drink my tea, lately I have seen recipes where tea isn’t just used as a beverage. Tea leaves themselves can be used for spice rubs on meat and poultry. Steep them in hot water and you have a brew for everything from soups and grain dishes to sauces and marinades.
Some people even swear by green tea facials, and many people have incorporated the leaves into moisturizing products by extracting its medicinal properties. Other than soothing sunburn and delaying the signs of aging, a simple green tea bag can even help treat nasty bug bites! I use my used cold tea bags to combat puffy eyes and it always works.
I am still experimenting with recipes using tea but for today, though, I will share some I found interesting and that you can try at home.
Green Tea-Poached Salmon with Asian Slaw
This recipe is courtesy of Seattle Times. The green tea here is used as an aromatic poaching base for the salmon. Don’t expect the green tea taste to dominate, though — all the ingredients in this recipe come together for a “subtle yet compelling depth of flavor”.
Wai Wai’s Tea Leaf Salad
From Myanmar Times we have the Green tea leaf salad, a ubiquitous dish in Myanmar, but this particular recipe comes with a twist courtesy of green tomatoes and grated cashew nuts.
Do you have your own personal tea dish recipe? Feel free to share it in the comments! I would love to try it out.
Disclaimer: This is a Guest Post. Please note that since I am not a doctor or any certified health professional, the information shared here is to the best of my knowledge. Please consult the appropriate health professional before making any changes to your diet, or lifestyle.
Such a nice article! I love green tea and I try to jazz it up by adding rose petals and cinnamon etc. You inspire me to put up a post about how I like tea. M family prefers milk tea but I Love black tea.! Love the tea pot too !!
Thank you Parvathy. Rose petals sound like a great addition to green tea- will try it out. If I am drinking black tea then I too prefer it with milk, and thats why probably I dont drink it as much I drink green or herbal tea. The tea pot was a gift from my friend when she was leaving town. She knew how much I love collecting props and gave me a bunch of her stuff. 🙂
I’m a tea (green or black) and coffee lover:) But for breakfast I absolutely love some regular Indian black tea (with milk).
I got into the habit of drinking green tea from my husband, he makes one kettle of green leaf tea everyday. I drink some in place of water or add it to green smoothies but I’ve never heard of tea leaf salad or poaching fish in green tea. It sounds really interesting1
Balvinder recently posted..Desi drink – Kachhe Aam ka Panna
I used to make a pot of green tea too and keep drinking throughout the day. I think I need to get back to that. It kept me from snacking.
I am a tea person for several years now. Either masala or green, I need one of those every morning to charge up 🙂
Love the light in the shots! xx
Kankana recently posted..Ciabatta
Thanks Kankana. I switch between coffee and tea. Right now I have been having tea quite a lot lately.
Mmm, how delicious, perfect for a tea party.
Thanks Salma 🙂
I have loved tea since I was a teenager, and green tea is my favorite. I will have to try your Green Tea-Poached Salmon. Sounds interesting!
Green Tea is my favorite too, although sometimes I don’t mind a good cup of masala chai.