Hot Drinks Around The World
With winter coming, how do we warm up during chilly time? Hot drink, of course! Have you heard about any hot drink that you didn’t know before? Below are some hot drinks around the world that will guarantee to warm up your winter!
Hot Chocolate
Though hot chocolate is one of the most common hot drinks in the U.S., featuring from every café to convenience store, few people know that it originates from Mesoamerica, a historical and cultural area in Central America. The first chocolate drink can be traced back to the Mayans around 2,500 – 3,000 years ago. Hot chocolate drink had been modified greatly since it was introduced to Europe. Can you believe that hot chocolate was once considered a potion, which means a magical medicine liquid to treat liver and stomach diseases?
Masala Chai
Source: https://chasorganics.com/products/masala-chai-black-tea-1
Masala Chai is a Hindu word which means mixed-spice tea. The original drink is not the same as what you would have gotten in Starbucks. The combination of black tea and a mix of Indian spices, herbs, and hot milk is strong and rich. Traditionally, it is flavored with green cardamom, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger, and black peppercorns. Chai latte or Chai tea latte is Masala Chai variation, which is made from steamed milk with spiced tea concentration instead of espresso. To try authentic chai, visit your local Indian restaurants!
Hot soy milk
Hot soy milk is a traditional breakfast beverage in China. Soy was considered one of the most important grains since ancient China. Hot soy milk can be sweetened with sugar or added with mung bean and red bean for taste. If you are interested in trying this peasant delicacy, you can find it easily in any Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant.
Barley tea
Source: independent.ie
Barley tea is a kind of roasted-grain tea made from barley with hot water. It is popular across China, Japan and Korea.
In Korea, barley tea is consumed hot in the winter and cold in the summer. Barley tea is good for your health because it helps lower cholesterol and sugar level, and balance gut bacteria. Best of all, your teeth won’t be stained with yellow patches normally happened to tea drinkers. If you are interested, you can buy barley tea bags in any supermarket or bottled barley tea in the Asian ones.
Sbiten
Source: https://russianfoods.com/sbiten/
Sbiten is a traditional hot drink in Russia. Based on different recipes, the flavor of sbiten can be very spicy and sweet. It’s made out of mixed spices, honey, hot water, and jam. Sbiten can be made alcoholic with wine instead of water. Because Russia is well known for its frigid winter months, this alcoholic addition helps warm the body’s temperature up faster.
Bicerìn
Source: https://ciaofromdebbie.com/recipes/beverages/bicerin-coffee-recipe/
Bicerìn is a specialty drink originating from eighteenth-century Italy. In Italy, bicerìn is made with espresso, liquid chocolate and whole milk which are then layered in a small rounded glass. In the U.S., the heavy cream may be replaced by milk. Even though this drink is hard to come by, you can make it easily with ingredients found at home.
