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India is the second largest producer of tea in the world after China, including the famous Assam tea and Darjeeling tea. According to the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, there are plans to officially recognise tea〔http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-11/drinks-corner/31382411_1_national-drink-indigenous-tea-212th-birth-anniversary〕 as the “National Drink” in 2013.〔http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-30/india/31506187_1_tea-industry-black-tea-tea-output〕 Tea is also the 'State Drink' of Assam.〔http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/assam-cabinet-s-nod-to-tea-as-state-drink-of-assam-112101702023_1.html〕 According to the ASSOCHAM report released in December, 2011, India, as the world’s largest consumer of tea uses nearly 30 percent of the global output. Despite the production, India is also the largest exporter of tea after China.〔http://www.assocham.org/prels/shownews-archive.php?id=3238&month=12&year=2011〕 The practice of Ayurveda has resulted in a long-standing tradition of herbal teas. Traditional Indian kitchens have long utilised the medicinal benefits offered by various plants and spices such as basil (Tulsi), cardamom (Elaichi), pepper (Kali Mirch), liquorice (Mulethi), mint (Pudina), etc., and traditionally, teas made with these plant leaves and/or spices have been in use for centuries for maladies ranging from the serious to the trifling. Tea is also mixed with these traditional herbs. The taste of chai (sweet and milky) helps disguise the stronger and more bitter flavours of some of the medicinal additives, while other, more pleasant flavours such as cardamom and ginger add a pleasing flavour and aroma to the tea along with health benefits. Consumption of tea in India was first clearly documented in the Ramayana (750-500 BC). For the next thousand years, documentation of tea in India was lost in history. Records re-emerge during the first century AD, with stories of the Buddhist monks Bodhidharma and Gan Lu, and their involvement with tea. Research shows that tea is indigenous to eastern and northern India, and was cultivated and consumed there for thousands of years. Commercial production of tea in India did not begin until the arrival of the British East India Company, at which point large tracts of land were converted for mass tea production. Today, India is one of the largest tea producers in the world, with over 70% of the tea being consumed within India itself. A number of renowned teas, such as Assam and Darjeeling, also grow exclusively in India. The Indian tea industry has grown to own many global tea brands, and has evolved to one of the most technologically equipped tea industries in the world. Tea production, certification, exportation, and all other facets of the tea trade in India is controlled by the Tea Board of India. ==Ancient India== Tea cultivation in India has somewhat ambiguous origins. Though the extent of the popularity of tea in Ancient India is unknown, it is known that the tea plant was a wild plant in India that was indeed brewed by local inhabitants of different regions. But there is no substantial documentation of the history of tea drinking in the Indian subcontinent for the pre-colonial period. One can only speculate that tea leaves were widely used in Ancient India since the plant is native to some parts of India. The Singpho tribe and the Khamti tribe, inhabitants of the regions where the ''Camellia sinensis'' plant grew native, have been consuming tea since the 12th century. It is also possible that tea may have been used under another name. Frederick R. Dannaway, in the essay “Tea As Soma”,〔https://sites.google.com/site/delawareteasociety/Home/tea-as-soma〕 argues that tea was perhaps better known as “Soma” in Indian mythology. The tea plant is native to East and South Asia but the origins and history of tea are not precise. Many of the origin myths for tea are found in Chinese mythology, and the first verifiable records for tea consumption also point towards China. For details see History of Tea in China. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Indian tea culture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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