History of Sweet Tea
There are two traditional iced teas in the United States. The only variation between them is sugar.
Southerners swear by their traditional sweet ice tea and drink it by the gallons. In the South, ice tea is not just a summertime drink, it is served year round with most meals. When people order tea in a Southern restaurant, chances are they will get sweet ice tea.I claim Sweet Tea as my drink of choice. Sweet Tea is more than a beverage. It's a cultural heritage. It's a lifestyle. It's a link to my community.
1879 - The oldest sweet tea recipe (ice tea) in print comes from a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree, published in 1879:
Ice Tea. - After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, through a tea strainer into a pitcher. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the pitcher. Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency.
1884 - This may be the first printed recipe using black tea, which has become so universal today, and could also be the earliest version of pre-sweetened iced tea, the usual way of making it in the South today. Mrs. D. A. (Mary) Lincoln, director of the Boston Cooking School, published Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book: What to Do and What Not to Do in Cooking in 1884. On page 112, there it is: iced tea, proving that the drink was not just a Southern drink.
Ice Tea or Russian Tea - Make the tea by the first receipt, strain it from the grounds, and keep it cool. When ready to serve, put two cubes of block sugar in a glass, half fill with broken ice, add a slice of lemon, and fill the glass with cold tea.
1920-1933 - The American Prohibition (1920-1933) helped boost the popularity of iced tea because average Americans were forced to find alternatives to illegal beer, wine, and alcohol. Iced tea recipes begin appearing routinely in most southern cookbooks during this time.
1928 - In the southern cookbook, Southern Cooking, by Henrietta Stanley Dull (Mrs. S.R. Dull), Home Ecomonics Editor for the Atlanta Journal, gives the recipe that remained standard in the South for decades thereafter. It is a regional book that very much resemblances the many “church” or “ladies society” cookbooks of that era.
TEA - Freshly brewed tea, after three to five minutes' infusion, is essential if a good quality is desired. The water, as for coffee, should be freshly boiled and poured over the tea for this short time . . . The tea leaves may be removed when the desired strength is obtained . . . Tea, when it is to be iced, should be made much stronger, to allow for the ice used in chilling. A medium strength tea is usually liked. A good blend and grade of black tea is most popular for iced tea, while green and black are used for hot . . . To sweeten tea for an iced drink-less sugar is required if put in while tea is hot, but often too much is made and sweetened, so in the end there is more often a waste than saving . . . Iced tea should be served with or without lemon, with a sprig of mint, a strawberry, a cherry, a slice of orange, or pineapple. This may be fresh or canned fruit. Milk is not used in iced tea.
My recipe uses Lipton or Tetley tea bags.
To make a good glass of sweet tea, you must remember four principles:
- It must be strong.
- It must be sweet.
- Sugar does not dissolve in cold water.
- Brand matters! Don't use fancy tea bags - Lipton and Tetley make the best tea and can normally be purchased for under a dollar a box.
After that, the rest is easy.
To make the concentrated tea:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Add 4-6 Lipton or Tetley family sized tea bags to the boiling water and reduce the heat.
3. Let the tea bags steep for at least 10 minutes.
4. Remove the tea bags, squeeze them out (but don't break them!) and discard.
5. Add at least 2 cups of sugar to the concentrated tea and stir until it is all dissolved.
6. Turn off the heat and let the tea cool for at least 30 minutes.
To make the sweet tea:
1. Fill a pitcher halfway full with ice.
2. Add the sweet tea concentrate to the halfway point of the pitcher.
3. Fill the rest of the pitcher with cold water.
4. Refrigerate until cold.
To dispense the sweet tea:
1. Get a large glass and add ice cubes.
2. Pour the sweet tea into the glass.
In the South, sweet tea is the ultimate equalizer. You can be dirt poor or filthy rich, but if you are in a home in the South, you will probably find a pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge. It doesn't matter if it's served from a jug from Publix or from a crystal decanter, it all tastes the same. It's even more popular than The Varsity Restaurant, fried green tomatoes, and fresh vegetables. Sweet tea has made its mark on the world, and no self respecting Southerner can travel without it.
Written recipe credit: Cynthia Dollins
