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Writer's pictureKryshonda Torres

National Iced Tea Day

Did you know serving anything resembling "unsweetened" tea is blasphemy in the South 🤣🤮


Today we celebrate one of summer's most refreshing and well known drinks.


According to nationaldaycalendar.com, "Iced tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, following water. The oldest tea remains date to around 453BC. Archeologists from Shandong University and the University of Science and Technology found 2,400 year old tea remains in a royal tomb in the Shandong province. 

Recipes for iced tea have been found dating back to the 1870s. The Buckeye Cookbook (1876) and Housekeeping in Old Virginia (1877) both contain iced tea recipes. It is believed, however, that iced tea started to appear in the United States in the 1860s and became widespread in the 1870s. During that time, hotels and railroads offered iced tea on their beverage menus.


In 1904, the iced tea was introduced at the World's Fair in St. Louis by a tea merchant who planned to serve hot tea. However, a sudden heat wave prompted fair-goers to become uninterested in the beverage. To save his himself, the merchant decided to add ice to the already brewed tea. This led to a frenzy of people lining up to taste the wonderful new drink. Today, the U.S. consumed nearly 50 billion glasses of tea per year! "


FUN FACT: "An alternative to carbonated soft drinks and quite popular in the United States, iced tea makes up about 85% of all tea consumed. Restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, grocery stores and self-serve soda fountains make finding iced tea easy and convenient."


In honor of today, here are a few ways you can pay homage:

📍Create your favorite flavors by adding mint, lemon or fruit. 

📍Visit various restaurants and enjoy a glass of iced tea. Make a comparison to see who has the best home brew. 

📍Try this recipe: FRUIT ICED TEA

INGREDIENTS

  • 5   black tea bags or 5 tsp (25 mL) loose-leaf tea

  • 5 cups (1.25 L) hot water

  • 2 cups (500 mL) frozen fruit (sliced strawberries, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, mango) (see cook’s tips)

  •  Ice for serving

  •  Sweetener (optional)


DIRECTIONS

  1. Place the infuser in the Cold Brew Pitcher. Add the tea bags to the infuser.

  2. Carefully pour the hot water over the tea. Place the center lid on the pitcher. Let the tea steep for 5 minutes, or until it reaches the desired strength.

  3. Carefully remove the lid and infuser. Add the frozen fruit. Replace the lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve

  4. To serve, pour the tea over the ice and top with fruit. Add sweetener, if you’d like.

Yield: 5  servings


Your Pampered Chef Cook's Tips:

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can make this tea with fresh fruit instead of frozen. Use the Cup Slicer to slice 1 cup (250 mL) of fruit. Add the fruit, along with 1 cup (250 mL) of ice, to the pitcher after removing the steeped tea bags.


COLD BREW PITCHER: #101116

Don't have this item on hand, don't panic. Pick it up here⬇️


ACTION STEP:  Fresh Fruit adds a bright Twist to Brewed Tea. This refreshing drink is ideal for picnics, pool parties, and hot summer days, so invite your friends and family over and let me know in the comments how it turned out or kick your kitchen up a notch by booking your cooking show here:


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