In the famous movie Alice in Wonderland, the mad hatter turning to an astonished Alice at the sight of so much color and folly, said, <<it is always tea time>>. But is it really?
Over the years we have been accustomed to thinking of tea by placing it at a specific time, 5 p.m. also called afternoon tea or still five o’clock tea.
Many think that this choice stems from what are the rules of etiquette but this is not the case.
Tradition has it that it all began back in the 1800s, a time when the British used to eat two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. This solution, however, failed to satisfy everyone’s appetite and in fact the 7th Duchess of Belford Anne, in order to appease the hunger that was irretrievably felt in the afternoon, made a request for a small light snack that would be suitable for the afternoon. The duchess made a request for tea and pastries.
This experience was truly appreciated so much so that soon friends and acquaintances of the duchess joined in her new ritual and others emulated her.
By 1900 the tradition of five o’clock tea became such a social event that English women loved to wear their finest clothes to the various tea rooms that opened throughout England.
How about you? What time do you love to sip your cup of tea?