--- title: "Masala Chai: its history and the traditional recipe". description: "The spicy Indian tea originally called "masala chai" is in fashion and is here to stay. A very old drink that today is served in coffee shops around the world and is ideal for..." url: https://laindiaentusmanos.com/en/masala-chai/ date: 2023-02-17 modified: 2025-04-11 author: "Isabel" image: https://laindiaentusmanos.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/te-chai.jpg categories: ["Recipes"]] type: post lang: en --- # Masala Chai: its history and traditional recipe The Indian spiced tea originally called*** «masala chai »*** is in fashion and is here to stay. A very old drink that today is served in coffee shops all over the world and is ideal to start the day with energy. I tell you all the details about the history of ***masala chai***, its properties and my favorite recipe for this **spicy tea***. ***Masala chai***, the taste of India... The ***masala chai ***is the most popular drink in India. You can find it in the chai wallahs on the streets all over the country, in big cities as well as in rural areas, in the trains that travel all over the country and in every Indian home (each one with its own unique recipe). In India,** drinking a m*asala Chai* is a social act deeply rooted in its culture**. Any time of the day is a good time to enjoy this spicy tea, but it must be freshly brewed and piping hot. Traditionally it was served in unglazed red clay vessels called ***«Kulhars »*** These natural vessels give the brew an earthy flavor that blends well with the tea and spices. Today, many tea establishments serve them in disposable cups. (https://laindiaentusmanos.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/chai-wallah-india.jpg) ## Origin of masala chai We do not know with certainty the origin of **m*****asala chai*** but there are indications that it was created more than 5000 years ago as a remedy of the ancestral Indian medicine, the (https://laindiaentusmanos.com/ayurveda-medicina-india/). **Originally it did not contain tea and was an infusion of spices considered «hot» according to Ayurvedic principles: cardamom, pepper, cloves, star anise, ginger and cinnamon. Many benefits were attributed to this drink for better digestion and circulation. (https://laindiaentusmanos.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ingredientes-masala-chai.jpg) In the 19th century, when the British colonized India, they began to cultivate the «Camellia Sinensis» plant in the Assam region. Today,** India is the second largest producer of tea after China** and its most recognized teas worldwide are those from the states of Assam and Darjeeling. During that time, all the production was exported to Great Britain and there was no regular consumption in the Indian population due to its high price and the lack of knowledge about this product. **The local consumption of this spiced tea had its boom and massification in the 20th century** , as a result of a campaign of the «Indian Tea Association». This campaign promoted that the labor industries of the country should provide their workers with a break to rest during the working day and that this break should be accompanied by a black tea due to its energizing and stimulating benefits. From then on, British-style tea began to be served with milk (cold, at that time) and sugar. **Since the Indians did not like the taste very much, they added their typical spice mixture (masala) to give it a more pleasant taste to the local palate. ** Later, it evolved into today's m***asala chai*** in which milk is part of the hot preparation and its proportion is higher than what the English added. You will never drink two ***masala chai*** the same, since in each *chai wallah* or home, the recipe is modified to your taste: with more spices, stronger tea, more or less sweet... so... Enjoy each of them as something unique! ## Traditional *masala chai* recipe If you want to enjoy a cup of spiced tea at home, here is a traditional recipe in which I explain how to prepare a good* masala chai*. Remember that you can modify it according to your tastes. #### #### Ingredients for 4 cups of spiced tea: 4 tsp Black tea 2 slices Fresh ginger 1 piece Cinnamon stick 1 piece Star anise 8 berries Black peppercorns 8 grains Green cardamom 2 pieces Cloves 400 ml Milk 200 ml Water to taste Brown sugar !(https://laindiaentusmanos.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/masala-chai.jpg) #### Preparation of *masala chai*: In a saucepan, put the water on the fire with the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and pepper (the latter two, crushed in a mortar). Once it starts to boil, leave on medium heat for 4 minutes. Add the tea and the milk and let it simmer for 4 more minutes without letting it boil. Add the sugar and stir a little. Turn off the heat and let stand 2 minutes. Strain the tea with a fine mesh strainer and ready to drink! ## Variants of *masala chai*. As I have already mentioned, no two *chai masala* are the same. In each region of India there are differences in the blend of spices and the proportions used. In some places it is typical the ginger chai, cardamom *chai* and even in some areas like Kashmir they make it with green tea instead of black tea. In addition at present and due to its increasing popularity in the West have emerged drinks inspired by the taste of *chai masala * that although not being the original drink, it can be said that some are very rich. There are *chai masala flavored syrups, powdered preparations, chai latte and even bottled beverages both hot and cold. ## Chai tea, a very common redundancy It is quite common to hear the terms «**tea chai**», «**chai tea**» or «**spiced tea chai**» to refer to *masala chai , «**chai tea »** or «**spiced **tea chai**» to refer to *masala chai*, despite being a total redundancy. In Hindi, «***masala***» means spice mixture and «***chai***» means tea (this word comes from Persian). Therefore, saying «chai tea« is the same as saying »tea tea". It is curious but even big tea and beverage brands use the erroneous term "(https://amzn.to/3IxUjpH) in their product labeling and advertising campaigns. If you travel to India remember this fact because if you ask for a *"chai "* they will give you a dry black tea, without spices or milk. With a Masala Chai you can (https://laindiaentusmanos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/viajar-a-la-india.jpg) from home :) And that said... enjoy this tasty spicy tea!