Whatever the food, it goes well with iced tea. Yep, this drink has become the drink of millions of people in Indonesia and is definitely available in almost every place to eat. What is the history of iced tea in the country?
Whatever food you order, iced tea will definitely be the first thing to consider. Yep, now iced tea has become the drink of millions of people in Indonesia. Not only refreshing, this drink is also cheap. However, do you know the history of iced tea in Indonesia?
The story of iced tea is related to the Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. This was revealed by Professor of Food Science and Technology UGM Prof. Dr. Ir Murdijati Gardjito. At that time, the Dutch, who were active in trading spices in Maluku, introduced tea to the people of Java.
In the 17th century, the Dutch brought the first tea in Java when they landed on Sukabumi Beach. Well, in West Java, it turned out that tea could thrive. Tea plantations were growing rapidly there to reach 131 locations. After that, tea spread in Java and Sumatra, especially in South Sumatra.
"Actually, it was the people of West Java who drank tea first, which eventually spread to Sumatra, Central Java and East Java," said Professor Murdijati, Wednesday (20/1/2021).
The Dutch, who knew that the best part of tea was in the buds, then sold this part to Europe. The rest, in the form of tea stems, was used here. Fortunately, ancient people were so skilled that they were able to make even tea stem extract into a delicious drink.
According to Professor Murdijati, for the Dutch, tea stalks were considered just waste or trash, but could be used as tea which could be given free of charge.
"That's why hot plain tea can be free at Sundanese restaurants, but you're paying for it elsewhere. The problem is that the people are not educated to drink tea,” she continued.
A similar thing happens in Central Java. The skills of its citizens make them able to create delicious green tea drinks. Understandably, if you make black tea, you have to go through a fermentation process, while making green tea only requires a much simpler process of roasting tea leaves.
In addition, the people of Central Java were also able to make tea mixed with jasmine flowers. The taste? Until now, it is known throughout the country as one of the most popular tea variants.
The existence of sugar factories that were growing in Central Java also makes people accustomed to drinking iced tea with a mixture of the lowest or third quality granulated sugar with a brown grain color. Since then, sweet tea has become familiar to residents of Central Java and East Java. So, where does the sugar with the good quality go? Of course, exported to the Netherlands.
The arrival of ice cubes then changed the habits of Indonesians to drink sweet tea. Understandably, the air temperature in Indonesia is fairly hot, so sweet iced tea is considered as an antidote to thirst as well as the sultry weather.
Translated by Aprianti from inibaru.id
