|
Hmmm...a cup of Earl Grey in Denver? Actually, we weren't exactly sure, so we turned to the trusty Yahoo! search box and entered "high tea." The web sites our search returned focused on places to have High Tea, so we skipped past them and headed to the web page results. A page titled (appropriately enough) High Tea proved insightful and explained the history of this British tradition. High Tea was an afternoon meal that started in the 1700s. It was the main meal of the working class and usually involved some pretty heavy fare. Interestingly enough, High Tea led to an edible invention by the Earl of Sandwich, and soon tea sandwiches made the menu. The page goes on to explain that these days, High Tea has been elevated to a more elegant affair. It is typically served around 3:00 or 4:00 pm, and can include any one of a number of different varieties of tea, though herbal and fruit infusions may be frowned upon. Next, we checked in with Epicurious.com. The site's food dictionary states that High Tea originated in the 1800s rather than the 1700s but agrees on the rest of the details. We learned that High Tea consists of: ...a
variety of dishes such as Cornish pasties, Welsh rabbit, Scotch woodcock and various other meat and fish dishes. Also included are plenty of buns, crumpets, biscuits and jams, as well as an elaborate array of cakes and pastries and, of course, steaming pots of hot tea. If the idea of High Tea sounds tempting, check out some hotels or tea rooms in your area to see what they offer, or read SoYouWanna Serve High Tea to learn how to host your own.
|
