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 Chai
Chai is an ancient beverage with its origins in India, Nepal and Tibet. The brewing methods and types of tea and spices used vary by region. A traditional chai is a blend of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns which are brewed with tea and finished with milk and honey.
In India, chai is very popular in train stations and open markets. Natives and tourists alike gather around vendors known as chai "wallahs." Their call resonates through the crowd "Chai-ee, chai-ee." Low-fired, unglazed clay cups, called "kallurhs" are used for serving. The "wallahs" fire these traditional vessels in the open flames used for brewing the tea. The cups impart a rich, earthly flavor to the chai. After the beverage is done, the cups are discarded on the ground and returned back to the earth.
Cardamon is exported from Malabar, Ceylon and Mysorethis. Cardamom seeds grow only in rainforest with at least 150 inches of annual rainfall. From the same family as ginger, it is commonly used to create warmth in the body and aid in digestion. Seeds can also be chewed to sweeten the breath.
Cinnamon was once used in love potions and to perfume royalty. It is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree and is harvested during the rainy season when it becomes pliable. Once dried, it curls into long quills, which are cut and sold as cinnamon sticks or ground into fine powder.
Cloves are the dry, unopened flower bud of the tropical evergreen clove tree. Cloves are sold both whole and ground. Reddish brown and nail-shaped, their name comes from clavus, the Latin word for nail.
Pepper is the world's most popular spice. In one form or another it is used in almost every culture. Pepper stimulates gastric juices and aids in digestion. It comes from a vine native to India and Indonesia and grows in grapelike clusters.
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