How did the tradition of «five o’clock tea» come about in England?

(/)

reader question Robson Vilanova Island, Sao Sepe, RS

Thanks to the Duchess of Bedford, an influential woman in English society in the 19th century. The drink was an old acquaintance, it had arrived around 1662, along with the Portuguese princess Catarina de Bragança, future wife of King Carlos 2nd. Afternoon tea was already common in Portugal, but it only conquered the English nobility 180 years later. In the 1840s, the Duchess felt very hungry in the afternoon, so she decided to have a kind of snack between meals, with a cup of tea (with milk and a little sugar) and cucumber sandwiches or scones (a type of Scottish bread ) with sour cream and preserves. She started calling friends to share the moment and, in a short time, influential as she was, she created a fashion that ended up becoming an English cultural symbol. Today, the tea tradition is not exclusive to the aristocracy and is not limited to 5 pm either.

READ TOO

– Is it true that mate tea has more caffeine than coffee?

– What is the difference between mint and peppermint?

– Does drinking coffee really reduce drunkenness?

illustrates Wikimedia Commons