Indians love tea, most of them prefer healthy teas. It disappoints me when I meet a coffee person for aren’t we all supposed to be tea lovers? Anyway, no judging. Every one deserves to make their own food choices. But there’s one exception – you don’t get to avoid tea in an Indian household.
I am writing this while my father has asked me to have tea for about ten times in last two hours, even when I did announce clearly that today is no-tea day for me. I am sure my resolve to have no tea even for a day would be broken soon, especially when I have decided to talk about tea today.
Today, I am going to talk about healthy teas that are common in Indian households. You would be amazed that most of the normal diet in Indian households is the healthiest of all diets. If you doubt it, go and do your research and you’ll find out. You can begin with this book – The Great Indian Diet if you need to know where to start this research.
Coming back to the healthy teas, let me tell you which ones are common in my Punjabi house.
Ginger Tea
It’s the favorite of everybody, during the winter season. The moment the chill hits the North India, ginger consumption goes up. It goes with the science as ginger boosts immunity.
Ginger tea is a tasty blend of tea and it’s very easy to prepare. All you do is put in some ginger while boiling water for tea. The more you put, the stronger it gets. It helps to cure cold and even, sore throat. It’s bae!
2. Masala Tea
Now, there are several versions of masala tea and some, I don’t even like. For example, I tried one during my last visit to Cha Bar and hated it. I truly love the homemade healthy teas. I don’t like tea from anywhere else.
So, the masala tea we have has a mixture of sounf (Fennel), laung (cloves) and elaichi (cardamom). What my mom does is grind all of these together and store the powder for daily use.
We use it in all seasons, even when it’s best to use during the winter season. It just makes the tea tastier and healthier. All you have to do is to throw in half a teaspoon (or less) of this mixture while boiling water for the tea. That’s it.
3. Salted Tea
Again a remedy for sore throat, salted tea is a boon for winter. Now, don’t go crazy with the salt. You just need to add a pinch of it. Just a pinch and nothing more and it works as such a good cure for sore throat. Tried and tested!
4. Tulsi Tea
Honestly, tulsi is not such a common herb in our household. It’s usually found in Hindu households and it’s very beneficial. The reason behind it not being so common in my house could also be attributed to the fact that I fail to keep the plant alive for long enough.
It’s one of the best Indian herbs, actually. You can make some tulsi tea to get some relief from cold. It boosts immunity too.
5. Green Tea
This is a recent addition and still, nobody in my household has developed the taste for tea without any sugar and milk. I mean, is it even tea? But the truth is it is definitely one of the healthy teas, now, commonly found in Indian households – thanks to those ads and hype around how healthy green tea is.
There you go ladies and gentlemen! Those are the five healthy teas commonly found in Indian households.
But, India is such a diverse country that I probably don’t even know about all the cultures and traditions of the country. Help me out with this! If you’re reading this post, add in what other tea is common in your household. Comment now!
