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Ateahouse[1] ortearoom (alsotea room) is an establishment which primarily servestea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for servingafternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only servescream teas. Although the function of a tearoom may vary according to the circumstance or country, teahouses often serve as centers ofsocial interaction, likecoffeehouses.
Some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered establishments of different types, depending on the nationaltea culture. For example, the British or American tearoom servesafternoon tea with a variety of small snacks.
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ThroughoutChina andJapan, a teahouse (Chinese:茶館,cháguăn or茶屋,cháwū;Japanese:chaya (茶屋);Standard Nepali:chiya ghar (चिया घर)) is traditionally a place which offers tea to its customers. People gather at teahouses to chat, socialize and enjoy tea, and young people often meet at teahouses for dates. The Guangdong (Cantonese) style teahouse is particularly famous outside of China, especially in Nepal's Himalayas. These teahouses, calledchálou (茶樓) servedim sum (點心), and these small plates of food are enjoyed alongside tea.
Before tea was used as a social drink, Buddhist monks drank it to aid their meditation.[2] During the Chinese adaptation of Buddhism between 200 C.E. and 850 C.E., tea was introduced as a medicinal herb. It was then evolved to assist Buddhist monks in their meditation by providing the energy needed to stay awake (likely via the effects of caffeine as a stimulant on the brain). Soon after that, tea was popularized as a commonplace beverage, replacing the previously consumed milk- and water-based beverages and Chinese teahouses provided a new kind of social life for the Chinese during the 8th-9th centuries C.E.[3]
According toJapanese cultural tradition, a teahouse ordinarily refers to a private structure designed for holdingJapanese tea ceremonies. This structure and specifically the room in it where the tea ceremony takes place is calledchashitsu (茶室, literally "tea room"). The architectural space calledchashitsu was created for aesthetic and intellectual fulfillment.
During theEdo period, the term "teahouse" came to refer to the place wheregeisha would entertain their clients or as a place where couples seeking privacy could go.[citation needed] In this case, the establishment was referred to as anochaya, literally meaning "tea house"; however, these establishments only served tea incidentally. Though the usage of the termchaya for teahouses in the modern sense is now considered archaic - with modern tearooms known askissaten, serving tea as well as coffee - the termochaya is still used inKyoto to refer to the establishments where geisha perform and entertain clients.[4]
In Myanmar, teahouses known aslaphetyay saing (လက်ဖက်ရည်ဆိုင်), formerly known askaka saing (ကာကာဆိုင်), are a staple of urban centers throughout the country. These teahouses, which first emerged during the British colonial era, servemilk tea and a variety of delicacies ranging from native dishes likemohinga to Indian fritters (such asparatha andpuri) or Chinese pastries (such asbaozi andyoutiao).[5] Tea shops have traditionally served as venues akin to conversationalsalons.[6]
InPakistan, the prominentPak Tea House is an intellectualtea–café located inLahore known as the hub ofProgressive Writers' Movement.
In Central Asia, the term "teahouse" refers to several variations on teahouses found in different countries; these include theshayhana inKazakhstan,chaykhana inKyrgyzstan andchoyxona inUzbekistan, all of which translate as "a tea room". InTajikistan, the largest teahouses are the Orient Teahouse, Chinese Teahouse, and Orom Teahouse in the city ofIsfara. On the 15th anniversary of the independence of Tajikistan, the people of Isfara presented the Isfara Teahouse to the city ofKulyab for its 2700th anniversary in September 2006.[citation needed] Teahouses are present in other parts of West Asia, notably inIran and alsoTurkey. Such teahouses may be referred to, inPersian, aschai-khaneh, or inTurkish,çayhane - literally, the "house of tea". These teahouses usually serve several beverages in addition to tea.[citation needed]
InArab countries such asEgypt, establishments that serve tea, coffee andherbal teas likehibiscus tea are referred to asahwa ormaqha (مقهى) and are more commonly translated into English as "coffeehouse".[7]
Tea drinking is a pastime closely associated with the English.[8] A female manager of London'sAerated Bread Company is credited with creating the bakery's first public tearoom in 1864,[9] which became a thriving chain.[10] Tea rooms were part of the growing opportunities forwomen in the Victorian era.
In the UK today, a tea room is a small room or restaurant where beverages and light meals are served, often having a sedate or subdued atmosphere.The food served can range from acream tea (also known as Devonshire tea), i.e., ascone withjam andclotted cream; to an elaborateafternoon tea featuringtea sandwiches and small cakes; to ahigh tea, a savoury meal. InScotland, teas are usually served with a variety of scones,pancakes,crumpets, and other cakes. There is a long tradition of tea rooms within London hotels, for example, atBrown's Hotel at 33Albemarle Street, which has been serving tea in its tea room for over 170 years.[11]
In a related usage, a tea room may be a room set aside in a workplace for relaxation and eating duringtea breaks. Traditionally this was served by atea lady, not to be confused with adinner lady.
Tea rooms are popular in Commonwealth countries, particularlyCanada, with its harsh winters when afternoon tea is popular. The menu will generally have similar foods to the UK, but with the addition sometimes ofbutter tarts or other small desserts likenanaimo bars orpets de sœurs. Tea is commonly consumed in other Commonwealth countries alone or in the British fashion.
In France, a tea room is calledSalon de thé, and pastries and cakes are served. It seems that having a separate teahouse was a tradition in many European countries.[citation needed]
In the Czech Republic, the tea room culture has been spreading since the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and today, there are nearly 400 tea rooms[12] (čajovny) in the country (more than 50 just in Prague), which is according to some sources[13] Europe's largest concentration of tea rooms per capita.
In Kosovo, there are teahouses known as "çajtore".[14]
The popularity of the tea room rose as an alternative to the pub in the UK and US during thetemperance movement in the 1830s. The form developed in the late nineteenth century, asCatherine Cranston opened the first of what became a chain ofMiss Cranston's Tea Rooms inGlasgow, Scotland, and similar establishments became popular throughout Scotland. In the 1880s, fine hotels in both the United States and England began to offer tea service in tea rooms and tea courts, and by 1910 they had begun to host afternoon tea dances as dance crazes swept both the US and the UK. Tea rooms of all kinds were widespread in Britain by the 1950s. In the following decades, cafés became more fashionable, and tea rooms became less common.
The term "tea shop" may also refer to a retail shop selling dry tea to take home. Dry tea (first, as loose leaves, and then inteabags) used to be sold atgrocers' shops, and now mainly at supermarkets. One of the oldest shops that still specialises in selling tea for consumption at home isTwinings, which has been operating from the same premises incentral London since it opened in 1706. In South African English, "tearoom" is a synonym for "café" or small local grocer's shop.[15]
In the workplace, the termtea room ("break room" in North America) is a room set aside for employees to relax, specifically awork break refreshment. Traditionally, a staff member serving hot drinks and snacks at a factory or office was called atea lady, although this position is now almost defunct.
Tea is a prominent feature ofBritish culture and society.[16] For centuries, Britain has been one of the world's greatest tea consumers, and now consumes an averageper capita of 1.9 kg (4.18 lbs) per year.[17]
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