Five o'clock tea / Kella-viie-tee

Elas kord hertsoginna, kes tundis ühel pärastlõunal, kella viie ajal, kõhus ebamugavat tühjust. Leidlik proua mõtles, et oleks sobiv aeg nautida tassike teed koos küpsetistega. Seltsiks kutsus ta teisi prouasid. Varsti nauditi samal ajal teejoomist üle kogu maa.

Tegu oli 7. Bedfordi hertsoginna, Lady Anna Maria Stanhope'ga (1783-1857). Inglismaal oli sel ajal tavaks süüa kaks tugevat sööki päevas; hommikusöök ja õhtusöök, sinna vahele aga jäi pikk aeg ning üsnagi mõistetav, et kõht vahepeal tühjaks võis minna.

Tihti on segi aetud Low tea ja High tea mõisted, seda siiani ka paljude Ameerika hotellide ja Teemajade poolt. Traditsioonidekohaselt, serveeriti kõrgklassis "low" või "afternoon" teed koos väikeste (koorikuta) saiade, küpsiste ja koogiga kella nelja-viie ajal, just enne moes olnud jalutuskäiku Hyde Park'is. Kesk- ja alamklassis joodi "high" teed hiljem, kella viie-kuue ajal ning tegu oli suurema söögikorraga, sisuliselt oli see õhtusöök. Tüüpiline high tea menüü koosnes seapraest, lõhest ja salatist, pirukast, trifle'st, tarretistest, sidruni-juustukookidest, keeksist, pähklikoogist, shokolaadirullbiskviidist, saiast-leivast, korindi(seemneteta rosinad)kuklitest, kohupiimakookidest (curd pole küll päris kohupiim aga meie mõistes sobib), juustudest.
Nimed on tuletatud laudade järgi, millelt söödi. Low tea'd serveeriti madalalt laualt (diivanilaud), high tea'd (õhtu)söögilauas.
(Ma pole mingi ajalooekspert, ülalolev tekst on kokku pandud interneti põhjatule ( ja tihti vastuolulisele) infole toetudes ja oma unarussejäetud tõlkimisoskust kasutades, ärge siis pange pahaks kui millegagi puusse olen pannud. Pilt samuti netist. )

A Cup Of Tea
When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.
There is magic in its' fragrance,
There is solace in its' taste;
And the laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.
And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There's beauty as you'll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea.
-author unknown

Meie tänane Low Tea menüü nägi välja selline (nimekirjas peidus ka retseptilingid) :

tee, piim/sidrun ja suhkur
kurgi-kolmnurksaiad
scones + moos + "clotted cream"
vaarika-pähklikook
laimikeeks

Lõpetuseks veel veidi toredat lugemist selliselt lehelt:

Tea Etiquette

In order for one not to spill the hot liquid onto oneself, the proper way to hold the vessel of a cup with no handle is to place one’s thumb at the six o'clock position and one’s index and middle fingers at the twelve o'clock position, while gently raising one’s pinkie up for balance.

Tea cups with a handle are held by placing one’s fingers to the front and back of the handle with one’s pinkie up again allows balance. Pinkie up does mean straight up in the air, but slightly tilted. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills. Never loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the vessel bowl with the palm of your hand.

Do not stir your tea, with your tea spoon, in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup. When not in use, place your tea spoon on the right side of the tea saucer. Never wave or hold your tea cup in the air. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer. If you are at a buffet tea hold the tea saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the tea cup in your right hand. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer and hold in your lap. The only time a saucer is raised together with the teacup is when one is at a standing reception.

Milk is served with tea, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea. Although some pour their milk in the cup first, it is probably better to pour the milk in the tea after it is in the cup in order to get the correct amount.

When serving lemon with tea, lemon slices are preferable, not wedges. Either provide a small fork or lemon fork for your guests, or have the tea server can neatly place a slice in the tea cup after the tea has been poured. Be sure never to add lemon with milk since the lemon's citric acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle.