Afternoon Tea and High Tea in England英国的下午茶文化

1、Afternoon Tea -2:00pm to 5:00pm This is a small meal snack Origination The custom of afternoon tea originated in England in the 1840s. At the time, the various classes in England had a divergence(分歧) in their eating habits. The upper classes typically ate luncheon at about midday and dinner at 8:00

2、pm or later, while the lower classes ate dinner at about 11:00 am and then a light supper at around 7:00 pm. For both groups, afternoon tea filled a gap in the meals. The custom spread throughout the British Empire and beyond in succeeding decades.Content Traditionally, loose tea is brewed in a teap

3、ot and served with milk and sugar. The sugar and caffeine of the concoction provided fortification against afternoon doldrums(精神不振) for the working poor of 19th and early 20th century England who had a significantly lower calorie count and more physically demanding occupation than most westerners to

4、day. Freshly baked scones served with cream and jam (Known as a cream tea) Afternoon tea sandwiches - thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Assorted pastries 什锦糕点 In hotels and tea shops the food is often served on a tiered stand; there may be no sandwiches, but bread or scones

5、with butter or margarine(人造黄油) and optional jam or other spread, or toast, muffins or crumpets.Afternoon Tea today Afternoon tea is not common these days because most adults go out to work. Changes in social customs and working hours mean that most 21st Century Britons will rarely take afternoon tea

6、, if at all. However, you can still have Afternoon tea at the many tea rooms around England.High Tea -5:00pm to 7:00pmAn early evening meal , largely followed by a lighter meal later in the evening. Origination High tea was eaten by middle to upper class children (whose parents would have a more for

7、mal dinner later) or by labourers, miners and the like when they came home from work. The term was first used around 1825 and high is used in the sense of well-advanced (like high noon, for example) to signify that it was taken later in the day. Content Traditionally eaten early evening, High tea wa

8、s a substantial meal that combined delicious sweet foods, such as scones, cakes, buns or tea breads, with tempting savouries(开胃菜), such as cheese on toast(干酪土司), toasted crumpets, cold meats and pickles on toast(冷盘和腌汁士) or poached eggs on toast(荷包蛋多士). High Tea today This meal is now often replaced

9、with a supper due to people eating their main meal in the evenings rather than at midday.Distinguishment Afternoon tea was served in the garden where possible; otherwise it was usually taken in a day room, library or salon where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs gener

10、ally (hence the fallacy about it being low tea). The term “high tea” was used as a way to distinguish it from afternoon tea. Though it is often stated that the words low and high refer to the height of the tables from which either meal was eaten, the term for the later meal actually relates to the usage of high as the meaning of the most important part of a particular time.Conclusion Nowadays, a formal afternoon tea is usually taken as a treat in a hotel or tea shop. In e