How did tea appear in Russia? Who brought tea to Russia?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Of course, tea is not a native Russian drink. However, over the centuries that it has been drunk in Russia, it has greatly influenced the culture of the country, and not only on cooking and etiquette. This hot drink contributed to the development of international trade, industry and handicrafts. Today, Russia occupies one of the first places in its per capita consumption. But despite this, few people know how tea appeared in Russia and who first brought it home. But the story is more than entertaining.

Only a legend

Of course, the exact date of the appearance of tea on Russian soil does not exist. However, all historians agree that this happened in the 16th and 17th centuries - even earlier than in England and Holland. According to one version, for the first time tea was tasted under Ivan the Terrible by atamans Petrov and Yalyshev. According to the well-known collector of ancient texts, I. Sakharov, this happened in 1567. However, laterhistorians expressed a different version of who brought tea to Russia.

First Russian tasters…

So, in 1638, the Russian ambassador Vasily Starkov was sent on a mission to the Mongol Khan Altan Kuchkun. As a gift, golden utensils, expensive sable furs, wild honey and cloth were presented to him. Khan liked the Russian gifts so much that he sent a whole caravan in response. Among the gifts were four bales of tea.

However, the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich did not immediately appreciate the dried grass, considering it unsuitable. Only after detailed questioning by Vasily Starkov was the drink "tea" appreciated, but without regular supplies from China, it was quickly forgotten.

He was remembered only almost 30 years later, when his son, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, fell ill. The court physician suggested tea as a healing drink. For a long time, tea was considered a medicine. Everything was changed by the Khan's further campaign against Moscow. Since the end of the 17th century, tea drinking has become part of Russian culture.

…and the first tea traditions

Thus, delivery to Russia, until the 19th century, was carried out by land caravans that traveled from China for 16 months. The cost of tea was high. Such a drink was clearly beyond the reach of an ordinary Russian person. Members of the royal family, boyars, nobles and we althy merchants could basically afford it. It was at this time that the presence of tea in the house is considered a sign of prosperity and prosperity, and their own tea traditions appear in Russia.

So, unlike China, it was customary to drink it in a large company,serving to him jam, pastries and other sweets. Tea was brewed in special teapots, then diluted with boiling water. So this hot drink is drunk only in Russia - this is a national tradition. The appearance of tea in Russia led to the invention of the samovar, which was the best fit for Russian tea parties.

With the opening of the Siberian railway (at the end of the 19th century) and the beginning of tea exports from Ceylon and India, the cost of the drink dropped sharply and it began to be drunk everywhere. Of course, the nobility still preferred elite varieties from Northern China. Peasants and city dwellers preferred cheaper Indian varieties or even a substitute. It was tea that was the first product to be counterfeited in Russia.

Influence on industry and trade

The history of tea in Russia is closely connected with the development of international trade relations and the development of industry. For a long time, tea was brought from Northern China, making a long journey through Siberia, which greatly contributed to the development of this part of the country as an industrial and commercial center. The same Irkutsk, until the beginning of the 20th century, was a transit point for all tea caravans. In addition, cloth, furs and honey were brought to China from Russia in return. By the end of the 19th century, trade between the countries amounted to 6 million rubles - a third of all imports to the Russian Empire.

Besides, after tea appeared in Russia, new factories and factories began to appear. Thus, Tula became the center for the production of samovars. Alreadyin the middle of the 19th century, up to 120 thousand a year were made at 28 different factories. To this day, the painted Tula samovar is considered one of the symbols of Russia. Also at the end of the 18th century, the production of Russian porcelain began, which was greatly facilitated by the Russian Empress Catherine II. There were many private manufactories producing it for the mass market. The best products, which later also became part of Russian culture, were produced at the Imperial Porcelain Factory (today - Lomonosov).

Russian Tea Party

Today it is hard to imagine Russia without tea. Its influence on Russian culture is difficult to overestimate. Every day, every resident of the country drinks at least 3-4 cups a day. There are also traditions. So, what is it - tea in Russian? And how is it so different from the Eastern ceremony, where the main thing is immersion in your inner world? And why, after tea appeared in Russia, was it considered a symbol of hospitality?

Since Russians have always been distinguished by generosity and kindness, warming tea quickly began to be perceived as an opportunity to show one's affection to a dear guest. That is why in Russia they always served him all kinds of delicacies - kalachi, bagels, homemade jam and wild honey. Also, only in Russia it was customary to drink tea "bite". It was believed that the only way to enjoy its unique taste. And tea with lemon is called Russian all over the world. Another national tradition is to drink tea from glass cups withcoasters.

In general, we can say that Russian tea drinking is, first of all, a long, leisurely conversation. It was for tea that friends, relatives and colleagues were invited and invited when they want to establish or strengthen relations.

Own production

The Chinese and Indian origin of tea imported into Russia made the country dependent on imports. However, for a long time it was believed that it was impossible to grow Russian tea due to unfavorable natural conditions. For the first time this was done only in 1817 on the territory of the Crimea. However, things never went beyond experimental and exhibition samples.

Industrial production was established only in the Soviet Union. Much of this contributed to the love of I. V. Stalin for this drink. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, the first crop of Russian tea was successfully harvested on the territory of Georgia. Then they began to grow it in Azerbaijan and the Krasnodar Territory. The peak of popularity of the national product came in the 70s. However, the desire of management to reduce the cost of production has led to a sharp decline in the quality of the drink. As a result, the demand for local tea among the population has fallen.

Culture Impact

Today tea is an integral part of the Russian heritage. L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky and A. Pushkin drank it with pleasure. There were a lot of stable expressions about him. Perhaps the most famous of them is "tip". And Kustodiev's painting "The Merchant" has become a kind of hymn to the Russian tea party. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this drink for Russia. And notit is important how tea appeared in Russia, but without it the country would be completely different.