Indian Spice Chai In many parts of India there is a saying that loosely translated as: “spiced chai…the tea that eats like a meal” - and in certain parts of India it’s true. Traditional Indian chai is a heady mix of spice and tea. Chai recipes are handed down from generation to generation the way westerners pass on grandma’s apple pie recipe. The tea is traditionally brewed by boiling milk, adding good thick black tea, various spices and then boiling it again. The resulting mixture is thick, spicy and incredibly full-bodied.
Question: What is a Chai Wallah?
Answer: The tea term chai wallah refers to a maker and seller of masala chai (a.k.a. "
chai tea").
The word "chai" is a Hindi word originating in India. It literally means "tea".
The word "wallah" is also a Hindi word. It literally translates to "person". "Wallah" is used in a variety of job titles and states of being in India, such as "rickshaw wallah" (a rickshaw driver) and "Bombay wallah" (a person who lives in Mumbai).
Outside of India, "chai" has come to mean spiced tea, but within India, chai can refer to any type of tea. Therefore, chai wallahs in India often sell milk tea, black tea, ginger tea and other types of tea, as well as masala chai.
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/historyculture/f/What-Is-A-Chai-Wallah.htm
These pottery cups are made and sold at train stations, street corners, and other places and then then after the Chai is drank you dispose if the cup. I love it!!
Here are some examples of regional variations on what chai wallahs sell:
- New Delhi area: black tea with fresh ginger root, milk and sugar
- Mumbai / Bombay: thick, strong, milky black tea boiled with cardamom seed and sugar, served in half-size servings called "cuttings"
- Kerala: "metre chai" made from milk, sugar and black tea and poured back and forth between two cups until foamy and bubbly
- Ladakh: pu-erh tea made with milk and salt (not sugar)
- Gujarat: mixed spice black tea with milk, served from a shallow bowl rather than a glass or mug, and sometimes garnished with a sprig of mint
- Fort Cochin / Kochi: mixed spice tea with a bit of black pepper
- Tamil Nadu: sweet, strong milk tea prepared with a filter akin to a coffee filter; sometimes spiced
- Hyderabad: so-called "Sulemani chai", a drink made of sweet black tea with lemon
- Bhopal: black tea made with milk and salt (not sugar)
Am I the only one who reads about this tea and sees theses photos and wants to jump on a plane to India??!!! After my Indian meal with charlie and Robin, Charlie was telling me about these Chai Wallahs. I was so intrigued I could not wait to find out more about them.
Masala tea or chai is a blend of spices, the most common being cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper, mixed with a rich black tea, milk, and a sweetener. This warming and soothing concoction, brewed by street vendors in India, called chai-wallahs, is boiled in a pan on the stovetop for a few minutes, then strained into a cup.
After preparing the chai, the chai wallah may sell directly from the stall or have another person (often a boy) run the chai around to various buyers while carrying it on a small tray with notches or holders for the cups
Today, chai is a leader in the tea industry, its popularity swelling in American and European tea- and coffeehouses. According to one study, the sale of chai is estimated to have jumped by a startling 82 percent in one year, with chai available in bags, bottles, and loose blends. And though similar to the exotic beverage so beloved by India, the American version tends to favor a blend of the sweet spices used for Masala chai—ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves—while eschewing the savory spices that are traditionally used in India—peppercorns, cumin, and even fennel
Chai wallahs are major players in Indian social life. Their stalls, carts and shops act as gathering places for various classes and types of people (though mainly men frequent them). It is common for people to mingle over their cups of chai and biscuits / cookies, and to share news of all sorts with the chai wallah. For this reason, chai wallahs are often the go-to person for local gossip. Most chai wallahs are men, though there are a few chai wallahs who are female, as well
Check out this blog about a man who was in
India and enjoyed
Chai from a Wallah.
