Tea (meal)
Tea has long been used as an umbrella term for several different meals. Isabella Beeton, whose books on home economics were widely read in the 19th century, describes afternoon teas of various kinds, and provides menus for the "old-fashioned tea", the "at-home tea", the "family tea", and the high tea. Teatime is the time at which the tea meal is usually eaten, which is late afternoon to early evening, being the equivalent of merienda. Tea as a meal is associated with Great Britain, Ireland, and some Commonwealth countries. Some people in Britain refer to their main evening meal as "tea" rather than dinner or supper. This article is instead concerned with the various types of secondary, lighter, meals called "tea".
As a secondary meal, the timing of tea has moved over time in response to the moving later and later of the main dinner. Until the late 18th century dinner was eaten at what we now call "lunchtime", or in the early afternoon; supper was a later and lighter meal. Gradually dinner began to migrate, amid much controversy, until by about 1900 it arrived at its present timing in the evening. The earliest "tea" meals were often in the early evening, some three or four hours after dinner, or even later, after a supper and before bed. The philosopher Thomas Carlyle and his wife invited guests for 7 pm to their teas in the 1850s, although afternoon tea before dinner was also becoming established by this time.
The most common ingredients of a light tea are tea itself, with cakes, biscuits or pastries, bread and jam, and perhaps sandwiches; these are the ingredients of "traditional afternoon tea" meals offered by expensive London hotels. But there may be other types of both drink and food offered or eaten at home.
Afternoon tea
Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3.30 pm and 5 pm. Observance of the custom originated amongst the wealthy social classes in England in the 1840s, as the time of dinner moved later. Anna Maria, Duchess of Bedford, is widely credited with inventing afternoon tea in England as a late-afternoon meal whilst visiting Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. By the end of the nineteenth century, afternoon tea developed to its current form and was observed by both the upper and middle classes. It had become ubiquitous, even in the isolated village in the fictionalised memoir Lark Rise to Candleford, where a cottager lays out what she calls a "visitor's tea" for their landlady: "the table was laid… there were the best tea things with a fat pink rose on the side of each cup; hearts of lettuce, thin bread and butter, and the crisp little cakes that had been baked in readiness that morning."For the more privileged, afternoon tea was accompanied by thinly-sliced bread and butter, delicate sandwiches and usually cakes and pastries. Scones may also be served. The sandwiches are usually crustless, cut into small segments, either as triangles or fingers, and pressed thin. Biscuits are not usually served. The English afternoon tea blend is medium body and lighter than English breakfast tea.
Nowadays, a formal afternoon tea is more of a special occasion, taken as a treat in a hotel. The food is often served on a tiered stand; there may be no sandwiches, but bread or scones with butter and jam, or toast, muffins or crumpets. Afternoon tea as a treat may be supplemented with a glass of Champagne or a similar alcoholic drink. This is a more recent innovation.
A less formal establishment is known as a teahouse or tearoom, similar to a coffeehouse. These used to be common in the UK, but these establishments have declined in popularity since the Second World War. A.B.C. tea shops and Lyons Corner Houses were successful chains of such establishments, and played a role in opening up possibilities for Victorian women. A list of significant tea houses in Britain gives more examples.
, 1929
The custom of taking afternoon tea with bread or pastry was also common in some continental European areas, though such customs are not widely known in English-speaking countries. For example, Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière wrote in 1804 of afternoon tea in Switzerland:
Vers les cinq heures du soir, la maîtresse de la maison fait elle-même, au milieu du salon, du thé très-fort, qu’adoucissent à peine quelques gouttes d’une crème onctueuse; de larges tartines de pain beurré l’accompagnent. Tel est le Thé suisse dans toute sa simplicité. Mais, dans la plupart des maisons opulentes, on y ajoute du café, des pâtisseries légères de toute espèce, et dont plusieurs sont même inconnues à Paris, des fruits confits ou glacés, des macarons, des biscuits, du nougat, et même jusqu’à des glaces.
A tea party is a social gathering around this meal – not to be confused with the Boston Tea Party, a mid-December 1773 incident at the beginning of the American Revolution, or the 21st century political movement named after it.
Cream tea
This snack is associated with the West Country, i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. It usually consists of scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam, plus, of course, tea to drink. Some venues will provide butter instead of clotted cream. In Australia, this is commonly referred to as Devonshire Tea.Evening high tea
High Tea is a name for the evening meal, usually associated with the working class, and is typically eaten between 5 pm and 7 pm. This was also sometimes called a "meat-tea" in the past. In most of the United Kingdom people traditionally call their midday meal dinner and their evening meal tea, whereas the upper social classes would call the midday meal lunch or luncheon and the evening meal dinner or supper. This differentiation in usage is one of the classic social markers of English. However, in most of the South of England, the midday meal is almost universally called "lunch", with "dinner" being the evening meal, regardless of social class.High tea typically consists of a hot dish, followed by cakes and bread, butter and jam. Occasionally there will be cold cuts of meat, such as ham salad. The term was first used around 1825, and "high" tea is taken on a high table; by contrast, low tea, which was more of a light snack, was served on a low table what would be called a coffee table in North America.
A stereotypical expression "You'll have had your tea" is used to parody people from Edinburgh as being rather stingy with hospitality. A BBC Radio 4 comedy series of this name was made by Graeme Garden and Barry Cryer.
Tea break
Not a meal as such, but a chance to "down tools" and relax from work for 10–15 minutes. This may occur mid-morning or mid-afternoon. It may equally involve coffee, and almost inevitably, biscuits. Around the second World War, the drinks were served by the workplace's tea lady, a position that is now almost defunct. The British and Irish habit of dunking biscuits in tea has been exported around the globe.Tea as the main evening meal
The term "Tea" is often used among the English working classes—particularly those of the North of England—as signifying the main meal of the evening; this use of the word is also common in Australia. Other than the name, the meal is not different from those eaten as dinner or supper. More generally, a high tea was and is often the last meal of the day for young children, before an early bedtime.Australian and New Zealand usages of "tea"
In Australia and New Zealand, a small informal social gathering usually at someone’s home for tea and a light meal in the afternoon is referred to as "afternoon tea". The term high tea is used to describe the more formal event that the English would call afternoon tea; high teas are often held outside the private home in commercial tea rooms, function venues, hotels, or similar.A tea break is the term used for a work break in either the morning or afternoon for a simple cup of tea or other beverage. In both Australia and New Zealand, a smoko, originally meaning a cigarette break, is also used as slang for a tea break, especially for people working in manual work.
In Australia and New Zealand the evening meal is still often called tea, whereas the midday meal is now commonly called lunch. In rural areas, dinner is still used quite often for the midday meal; tea is around 6 pm, and the term supper is either a late meal at night, or food served at night at a social function, such as the town's annual Christmas dance and supper. These phraseologies have fallen somewhat out of favour amongst young people.