Taking Tea Beyond the Dessert Menu
As Teance's wholesale account manager, Tracy shares her love for tea and cuisine on a daily basis. Here she describes why tea and food are the perfect combination.
The
challenge in writing about tea and cuisine is that - with the likely
exception of those of you reading this - our culture has a very narrow
perception of what tea is, its place summed up by the countless people
who have refused a cup by saying,"No thanks, I am a coffee
drinker." As long as tea is considered little more than an
alternative to coffee, it will remain exiled to dessert menus, an
uninspiring and watery beverage.
However,
our society clearly understands the intrinsic connection between food
and love:"The kitchen is the heart of the home," we say. Also, "the
best way to a man's heart (and, I would argue, to a woman's as well) is
through his stomach." Let us look at tea then, not as a beverage,
but as a sensory experience, a call to awareness set in the context of
a delicious meal.
Indulge
me for a minute: Consider the journey as a metaphor. There are many
styles of travel. Some prefer to meander, seizing opportunities for
spontaneous adventure. Others like to head straight to their
destination and stick to an agenda once there. Such destination travel
has its merit - provided one soaks up the sights when the end point is
reached. But what about destination eating?
If
we eat with the goal of satisfying hunger, being full is our
destination. What a waste it would be to sit down to a finely crafted
meal with the intention of just filling up. To do justice to such a
meal, one must cultivate the ability to savor, which takes patience and
attention: Before we put a bite into our mouths we must take time to
enjoy its colors, textures and aromas. We must appreciate the moments
leading up to the first taste and experience remorse at the final bite,
delighting at every sense in between. This could be called "tasting as
a journey without a goal," the walk that relishes the sights along each
step rather than the fast drive past a beautiful countryside.
In
much the same way, tea asks, "What is the goal of the journey if not
the journey itself?" As anyone who has delved into the world of tea
will tell you, the purpose of enjoying tea begins long before your
first sip and lingers long after your last.
If
you look at cultures that have cultivated the enjoyment of tea, you
will find that labors of love adorn their drinking rituals, whether in
the tools used to make the tea, the poetry inspired by the consumption
of it, or the food prepared as an accompaniment. There is certainly
room in our meals for this sort of attention. If food provides a path
to the heart then I would argue that tea is the heart's inspiration.
Combining the two is clearly a recipe for a fabulous meal.
One way you can combine tea and cuisine: Make
your meal's first course a "tea course" to set the mood for the rest of
your meal. Choose a good quality whole leaf tea (ask the Teance staff
for pairing recommendations). Break out your tasting cups and tea
utensils. Taking time to enjoy tea first will awaken your guests'
palates and focus their attention on the meal to come.
Good food deserves good tea. Click here for a list of restaurants that serve Teance's teas.
Tea and Cuisine Pairing
Thursday, October 16. A special evening of innovative cuisine
with tea ingredients and tea pairing, catered by Tracy Paulding. Email info@teance.com for more information.
Learn more about Teance's wholesale program. Contact Tracyat sales@teance.com.
