HOW THE AFTERNOON TEA WAS BORN

Tea time is a tradition of England and other Commonwealth countries. This afternoon event, which can take place between half past three and five o'clock, is certainly one of the most peculiar features of  Anglo-Saxon culture and has rather recent origins. Although, in fact, there had already been antecedents, the real afternoon tea was invented in the forties of the XIX century by Anne Mary Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford, who was a close friend of Queen Victoria, as well as being one of her ladies-in-waiting.

The Duchess, like other members of the upper classes of the United Kingdom, was enormously affected by the long period of time that separated lunch, at noon, from dinner, which was consumed around seven. To fill the sense of emptiness, she decided to have tea brought to her room by her servants in the late afternoon with butter, bread and a cake. It was born a real afternoon ritual that soon involved the family and friends of the noblewoman, including Queen Victoria herself who approved the idea to such an extent that she began holding official tea parties in her various royal residences. Towards the end of the century, the ritual of afternoon tea became popular among the common people as well, and this fact helped to increase its popularity.

With the advent of this tradition, so-called tea rooms,  café-like establishments that were mostly aimed at women, quickly spread throughout the kingdom. A peculiarity regarding these places consists in the habitual presence of a fortune teller who offered her alleged prophetic services to the customers of the rooms. Unfortunately, the popularity of tea rooms declined dramatically after World War II.

Nowadays, there are two types of afternoon tea: low tea and high tea. Low tea, on the one hand, consists of a tea accompanied by a very light meal, generally consisting of sweets and canapés; High tea, on the other hand, involves a much more elaborate, plentiful and formal meal that generally replaces dinner. It is served late, between five and six, and is a custom in vogue especially in luxury hotels, particularly in London.

                                                                                                    R. M. II A Cla