A World of Tea: India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan

Try to imagine the soothing scent of cardamom and saffron, blending with the distinctive aroma of black and green tea. Are you ready to dive into a world of tea as rich in history as it is in flavour? In this installment of our series "A World of Tea," we're heading to the Indian subcontinent and surrounding countries.

Tea Culture in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan

Although Indians themselves drink 80% of all the tea they produce in the country, and tea is their national drink, it was actually the British who introduced it to them in the late 1800s. It was The British East India Company that was behind the establishment of the tea plantations, and India remains the world's second-largest producer of tea today. The majority of the tea grown is black tea, as it wasn't until the 1990s that Indians were introduced to green tea.

Indians also have a unique way of drinking tea, namely in the form of chai, which means tea in Indian. Chai is an enchanting blend of tea and spices, which, enriched with lots of milk and sugar, gives a truly unique taste. Chai tea can also be enjoyed plain and has a fantastic taste that reminds many Danes of Christmas tea, which shares many of the same spices. At train stations, you can find chai-wallahs, who primarily only sell this tea.

But India is not the only country in the region that enjoys tea. In Pakistan, tea was also introduced under British rule in the 1800s. Today, both black and green tea are popular in Pakistan and are known as: sabz chai and kahwah. The green tea is mixed with a blend of saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and sometimes roses. It is served with sugar or honey and enjoyed with crushed almonds or walnuts.

In Afghanistan, they also enjoy their own version of kahwah, brewed in a samovar, and each family has its own recipe for this wonderful tea.