What does morning tea mean?

Morning tea refers to a traditional custom based on tea and food, which is common in Guangdong, Jiangsu and other places, and its meaning is similar to eating breakfast. The difference is that eating morning tea is more particular. Generally, the whole family or friends order tea and refreshments in teahouses or restaurants, chat while eating, and take their time. But now, there is no time limit for eating morning tea, and it is possible in the morning or at noon.

In the traditional food culture of Guangzhou, morning tea occupies an unshakable position. Eating morning tea is not only a process of enjoying delicious food, but also a common local social eating custom.

Drinking tea is also called "sighing tea", which is a common saying in Guangzhou, indicating taste and enjoyment. The word "sigh" reflects Guangzhou people's calm attitude towards life. Guangzhou people start their day with morning tea.

Morning tea, which sounds like tea, is actually a combination of tea and snacks, and snacks are the real protagonists hidden behind tea. In Qing dynasty, morning tea was very popular in Guangzhou. According to legend, during the Tongzhi period, China people invited foreigners to have breakfast. Out of courtesy, it was not convenient to enjoy the dishes alone, and they could not eat western-style bread and milk, so they used various snacks and black tea instead. And the morning tea time often spans between breakfast and lunch.

A cup of two pieces-synonymous with Cantonese morning tea, "a cup" refers to a bowl of tea; "Two pieces" generally refers to snacks. Steaming hot spots, golden crisp dry spots, porridge, noodles and other staple foods, dishes and desserts, a morning tea is not only rich in varieties, but also many doorways.

Historical origin

The history of Guangdong morning tea can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, "Erli Pavilion" for drinking tea began to appear in Guangzhou and Foshan. Later, a more upscale teahouse was born. The teahouse has a scale of two floors, which allows customers to sit down and chat slowly. With the further development of commodity economy, teahouses have gradually shown a prosperous trend and gradually "developed into a teahouse cake bait industry".

During the "Thirteen Lines" period, businessmen and celebrities needed a place to entertain their business partners, and the first modern teahouse "Sanyuan Building" came into being. Since then, there have been more and more teahouses. Beginning in the late 1920s, many high-end teahouses in Guangzhou rushed to launch "Zhoumeidian" in order to attract diners, which became the trend of the catering industry at that time.

At that time, the teahouse was like a "small society", with business negotiations, blind dates and parties. The world and the world are condensed in Tea. In the teahouse, while tasting delicious food, everyone told their family and friends that the relationship between people is getting closer and closer. In Guangdong, "morning tea" has become a common social way.

Later, garden-style teahouses rose in Guangzhou, represented by Panxi Restaurant, Beiyuan Restaurant and Nanyuan Restaurant. Every teahouse has dozens or even hundreds of snacks.