England and tea
English tea party is the most famous of British traditions. However, tea was introduced to England relatively recently, in the middle of the 17th century. The popularity of the drink grew rather slowly, spreading from Asia to Europe in the late XVI - early XVII centuries, when the supply of tea by the Dutch and Portuguese merchant ships became regular. The beginig Surprisingly, tea owes its popularity to coffee houses. The owner of one of the first London coffee houses, Thomas Harvey, sold tea both in dry and brewed form, already in 1657. At that time it was called cha , Chinese drink, tay or tee and was recommended as a cure for all diseases; not everyone could afford such a curiosity. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, tea was offered to visitors by more than five hundred establishments, and after half a century tea became a favorite drink even of the lower strata of English society. Popularity
