قصة الشاي

by E. Jaiwant Paul (المؤلف), هناء العمير (المترجم)

يعد قيام توماس كاراوي ببيع الشاي علنًا في عام 1657م حدثًا تاريخيًا بمعنى الكلمة. وقيل، وفي أثناء تلك الحملة التسويقية وزع ملصقات دعائية تقول: "أوراق هذا النبات لها فضائل عظيمة، وتباع بضعف وزنها من الفضة. ومن خصائصها: تنشيط الأجساد وإيقاظ الشهوات. كما أنها مضادة للصداع والشعور بالخدر، وضعف الحركة. وهي خير معين لأصحاب الحصوات وأمراض الكلى والمثانة، وهي مفيدة في كل حالات ألم المعدة وسوء الهضم، بل إنها فاتحة للشهية خصوصًا للناس النهمين والضالعين في أكل اللحوم، علاوة على ذلك، فإنها تمنع الإصابة بالملاريا والحمى وملازمات التخمة عن طريق حث الأجسام على التقيؤ. كما أن هذا النبات يكافح الألآم العامة، وكذلك الأورام أمراض الجهاز البولي".

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tea

177 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

E. Jaiwant Paul is a man of varied interests, having authored five other books: By My Sword and Shield: Traditional Weapons of the Indian Warrior, Baji Rao: The Warrior Peshwa, Har Dayal: The Great Revolutionary, Rani of Jhansi: Lakshmi Bai, and Unforgettable Maharajas.

A hardcore corporate, he initially worked for Hindustan Lever and was later a director of Brook Bond India for several years. Thereafter, he headed the National Mineral Water Company in Muscat. Apart from collecting weapons, he is a keen cricketer and tennis player.

His lifelong interest in arms and armour springs from the fact that his father as well as his grandfather served in the Princely States, where swords and daggers were part of everyday attire. He lives in Delhi and serves as a director of a few companies.

Reviews

[Esraa · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب بلطافة وطعامة كوب الشاي نفسه، ينقصه بس صور المزارع والأكواب والتفاصيل اللي اتكلم عنها الكاتب وكان هياخد 5 نجمات عن جدارة واستحقاق..
ختام لطيف للسنة الحمدلله.
27 ديسمبر 2023

[Debbie Bridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having walked into the Turtle Cafe Book Shop in New Delhi, India, I spotted this little book on tea. I love tea and wanted to know more about its history, especially after having done a tea tasting in Twinnings Tea Rooms on the Strand, London, UK last year. I'm becoming a real tea historian and taster!

It's quite a small book and one I will be keeping, as it has some lovely little stories in it, plus a lot of information on the history of tea. It has wetted my appetite to find out more about the history of tea, it's like reading about the history of the world, but through the making of tea. Really an enjoyable read with a nice mixture of stories with history. There is a little propaganda for the company which the author worked for, but it's easy to get past that and see E. Jaiwant Paul's passion for his subject. What a great job to have worked in the world of tea!

Some brilliant quotes from the book:

'I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea.' - Lu Yu (a sort of patron saint for tea lovers)

'Apparently it was in the old coffee houses that the practice of tipping was born - customers would toss a coin into a box marked T.I.P. (To Insure Promptness). The practice is a veritable scourge today in Western countries.'

[Firas Al Ramahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب خفيف وبه كم من المعلومات اللطيفة عن مشروب الشاي المفضل لدى العراقيين
قرأت بصوت عالي على زملائي في العمل نصا من صفحات الكتاب فوجئت أن الاذان كانت صاغية ولمحت ابتسامة بسيطة على الشفاه والوجوه المتعبة وهو السبب في النجوم الاربع له

[Chandra Mohan Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

while moving on a way I found this book on the airport. seeing small book and having interest in drinking tea I want to know more about tea. having approx 100 pages and having diverse topic like history of tea, presence and production in different countries of world, production and manufacturing process, marketing are really a interesting read. the anecdote which the author share like the example of how Mr Lipton and brooke bond had used the innovative methods for the publicity and popularity of tea was of much interest to read.
worth read for all those who want to know more about tea and also for student of management and bussiness

[Sarah .. · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب ممتع لمحبي الشاي ، تمنيت لو احتوى على بعض الصور للمزارع و المزادات و أطقم و أكواب الشاي التي تحدث عنها الكاتب ، كانت أضافت متعة أكبر .

[Eman Abdulaziz · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب خفيف وممتع ومليء بالمعلومات المدهشة و المصاحبة لانتشار الشاي.

[مؤرخ · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب جميل خفيف ممتع، فيه لمحات تاريخية واجتماعية كثيرة.

[K-Failakawi · Rating 3 out of 5]

معلومات جيدة نسبيا ولكن ما اعجبني تطرق الكتاب الى بعض التفاصيل التي كانت تمارسها بريطانيا من اجل مصالحها وكيف كانت تنشر الفساد للوصل الى مبتغاها

[Rayyan Albawardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

شكرا د هناء على الترجمة اللطيفة
كتاب جميل وخفيف
وادام الله الشاي لعشاقه

[Mohammad Alrasheed · Rating 3 out of 5]

سرد ممتع وجميل لـ قصة الشاي منذ بداية اكتشافه ثم ما يتعلق به من قصص وأساطير وطقوس مختلفة. الكتاب سلس وخفيف والجميل أنه حظي بترجمة ممتازة.

[Hussein Harbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

«النشوة هي كأس ملأى بالشاي، وقطعة سكر في الفم»، بوشكين.

«يُجِدُّ سرورَ المرءِ من دون نشوةٍ/ فأحبِبْ به من مُنعشٍ غير مُسكرِ
خلا من صُداعٍ أو نزيفٍ كأنَّه/ سلافةُ أهلِ الخُلدِ أو ماءُ كوثرِ»، أحمد الصَّافي النَّجفي.

للشاي /الچاي/ العراقي شهرةٌ كبيرة، ذلك السائل الكثيف الداكن الذي نشربه شتاءً وصيفًا. لفرطِ تعلقنا باستكان الشاي، لا نستطيع أن نحدد بدايةً لتعرفنا إلى ذلك المشروب؛ فلو تخيلنا زمنًا لم نكن نشرب فيه الشاي، إذن ما هو مشروبنا الوطني؟
العراقيون الذين ابتدعوا الخمور وتفننوا بصناعة الجعة، منذُ القدم، تعرفوا على الشاي من طريق ناصر دين شاه أو في زمن مدحت باشا أو عند مجيء البريطانيين. كلّها أزمان قريبة لا تتعدّى القرن والنصف، وأكثر ما يُرعب في هذه الإحتمالات ليست التبعية العراقية لهاته الإمبرياليات ولكن عمر هذه الإحتمالات القصير!.

إذن، من عرف الشاي أولًا؟
يعتقد الصينيون أن هناك أمبراطورًا قبل خمسة آلاف عامًا كان يشرب الماء الساخن، فهبّت ريح تحمل أوراقًا امتزجت مع ذلك الماء فنتج عطرٌ جميل ومذاق أجمل.
أخذ اليابانيون الشاي من الصينيين فأضافوا عليه أتكيتهم، ولم تعرف أوربا ذلك المشروب الذي سيغيّر التاريخ إلا مؤخرًا؛ فأصبح مشروب البريطانيين المُفضل والذي ساهم بشكلٍ كبير في إعلان الإستقلال الأمريكي في ١٧٧٦.
يأخذنا الكتاب في رحلة إلى الهند وسيريلانكا وأفريقيا وروسيا، لأجل التعرّف على ظروف زراعة وصناعة وتسويق الشاي عبر التاريخ وأساليب شربه وتقديمه من قبل هاته الثقافات.
كتابٌ جميل وممتع عن مشروبٍ أحبُّه كثيرًا.

[Pages wildflower08 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves tea, "The Story of Tea" immediately caught my attention. I actually bought this book during my visit to Darjeeling last year, which made reading it even more special. There was something quite fitting about bringing home a book about tea from one of India's most famous tea-growing regions.

Before reading this book, I had always thought of tea simply as something I enjoyed every day—a comforting cup in the morning, something to accompany a conversation, a book, or a quiet moment. But this book made me realise that tea has a much richer and more fascinating story behind it.

Jaiwant Paul takes the reader through the history of tea and its journey across countries, cultures and centuries. I particularly enjoyed learning about how tea travelled from its origins to becoming such an important part of everyday life across the world. The book helped me look at something so familiar with a completely different perspective.

One of the most interesting parts for me was reading about the "Boston Tea Party".

It was especially fascinating because I had actually visited Boston for official work and had the opportunity to attend a Boston Tea Party event there. Having experienced the place and its history myself, reading about it afterwards felt like connecting two different experiences—the place I had visited and the history I was now reading about.

That made the book feel quite personal to me.

I also enjoyed the way the book shows that tea is not merely a beverage. Its history is connected with trade, politics, colonialism, economics, culture and even revolutions. A simple cup of tea carries centuries of history within it.

As an Indian and a tea lover, I found the connection with India's tea history particularly interesting. India has such a deep relationship with tea, from Assam to Darjeeling and other tea-growing regions, that reading about its journey made me appreciate my everyday cup a little more.

What I liked most about the book is that it made me pause over something I normally take for granted.

We often drink tea without thinking about where it came from, how it travelled across the world, the people and places involved in its history, or how deeply it became woven into different cultures.

After reading this book, I don't think I will look at my cup of tea in quite the same way.

And perhaps that is one of the pleasures of reading a good history book—it takes something familiar and gives it a story.

For me, "The Story of Tea" was an enjoyable and informative read, made even more memorable by the fact that I picked it up in Darjeeling and later came across one of its most fascinating historical episodes through my own experience in Boston.

[Rizowana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a delight to read. Though a very small book, it is packed with a rich detailing of the entire history of tea alongwith witty and humourous anecdotes. It is very informative and taught me everything about tea, from its history and reach, to its make and production. Concise and cleverly written. Would definitely recommend to fellow tea drinkers and non drinkers alike.

If you liked my review, do feel free to stop by my Instagram here!

[Debra Lowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a spare little book that I found in a pile. It's a quick and easy read on the history of tea and the cultural customs that have accompanied the consumption and making of tea in the East and West.

[Srikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read on the story of tea, its evolution and consumption throughout the world. I expected more on how the forests had to be cleaned up to create what now are the huge tea plantations, but it was nevertheless a nice read.

[Narayan Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful book that traces the history of tea. Interesting chapters on development of tea industry in China, India, Sri Lanka and Africa.

[Sindhura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction and a good insight into the history and significance of tea and also it's making.

[Sumirti · Rating 3 out of 5]

.