When you’re tired from work, a cup of milk tea is great for quenching your thirst. A delicious cup of milk tea can sweep away all kinds of unhappiness and little mood swings. There are a wide variety of milk tea brands for you to choose from. Whether you prefer fruit – based milk tea or the one with lots of milk, there’s always one that suits you. But wait a minute, do you think only modern people get to enjoy the fragrant milk tea? In fact, the ancient people also loved milk tea. Besides milk tea, there are all kinds of beverages that have been passed down to this day. If you’re curious about what the ancient people drank, you might as well read on.

Ⅰ. Lao Jiang (酪浆)

In ancient times, it was a beverage made from cow or goat milk. It was a drink made from fermented milk by ancient Chinese nomadic tribes. Its taste was similar to modern – day yogurt. Usually, salt was added for flavoring. It was used to replenish energy and in sacrifices, and it was something like the predecessor of modern salty milk tea. In “A Reply to Su Wu’s Letter” (《答苏武书》) written by Li Ling during the Han Dynasty, it was mentioned: “Eating mutton and drinking lao jiang to satisfy hunger and quench thirst. (羶肉酪浆，以充飢渴)”

Ⅱ. Milk Tea

Influenced by the Western Regions, dairy products from cows and goats became popular among the northern ethnic minorities, such as milk tea and koumiss.

It’s said that during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Wencheng was married to Songtsen Gampo. She brought tea leaves and tea – brewing methods to the local area. The locals boiled milk or goat milk with tea leaves and found this drink unexpectedly delicious. Since then, they developed a “milk – tea addiction.”

However, different from the sweet milk tea popular today, the milk tea in ancient China had a salty taste. One possible reason is that the salty milk tea loved by the nomadic people could inhibit the growth of bacteria, extending the storage time of milk tea without refrigeration (it could last for 3 – 5 days). Moreover, salty milk tea could provide a large amount of heat energy (about 300 kilocalories per bowl), which was suitable for the high – energy – consuming nomadic lifestyle of constant migration.

Ⅲ. Tea

Tea was initially used for medicinal purposes and later became a daily beverage. Especially after the Tang Dynasty, the tea – drinking custom became even more widespread. Tea is a drink made by steeping tea leaves or herbal plants. Originating in China around the 2nd century BC, it spread globally via the Silk Road. There are six main types, including green tea and black tea. Tea contains antioxidants and L – theanine, which can both refresh the mind and soothe the nerves. It is not only a carrier of a millennia – old culture but also a symbol of a modern healthy lifestyle. As Lu Yu wrote in The Classic of Tea (陆羽,《茶经》), “The use of tea as a beverage began with Shennongshi, was mentioned by the Duke of Zhou (神农氏) in the Zhou Dynasty, and was known to Yan Ying (晏婴) in the Qi State, and Yang Xiong (扬雄) in the Han Dynasty.”

Ⅳ. Fruit Wine

Fruit wine is made by fermenting various fruits like grapes, plums, etc. It has a sweet taste. Besides these, there are also many other varieties such as litchi wine, coconut wine, pomegranate wine, pear wine, jujube wine, betel nut wine, sugarcane wine and so on. Li Bai, the famous poet, once said, “From afar, the Han River looks as green as the budding stage of grape wine fermentation. (遥看汉江鸭头绿，恰以蒲萄初酦醅)” This line refers to grape wine.

Ⅴ. Soymilk

Soybeans, known as “菽” in ancient China, were a very popular ingredient in those days. Soymilk is made by soaking soybeans, grinding them into a pulp, boiling it, and then filtering. It is said that Liu An (刘安), the Prince of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, had a mother who loved soybeans. Once, when his mother fell slightly ill, Liu An finely ground soybeans into powder, added water to it, and seasoned it with salt. He served this to his mother, which was the early form of soymilk.

Ⅵ. Pear Paste

Pear Paste is a sweet beverage made by boiling pears. After cooking, it turns into a brown liquid similar to honey. It has the effect of moistening the lungs and relieving coughs. Pears appeared quite frequently in ancient poems. In ancient times, pears were also called “the king of fruits”. As described in Classic of Poetry: “The small, lovely sweet – fruited pear tree, don’t cut it down, don’t damage it, for it was under this tree that Lord Shao (召伯) took shelter. (蔽带甘棠，勿剪勿伐， 召伯所笼)”

Ⅶ. Sour Plum Soup

Sour Plum Soup is a sweet – and – sour beverage made by simmering smoked plums, licorice root, rock sugar, etc. Cixi (慈禧) in the Qing Dynasty was especially fond of this drink.

In Chapter 33 of A Dream of the Red Chamber, Lady Wang asked, “Have you eaten anything?” Xiren replied, “Her Majesty the Dowager sent a bowl of soup. I took two sips, but then I felt extremely thirsty and asked for Sour Plum Soup.”

Ⅷ. Sugarcane Juice

Sugarcane juice was a daily drink for people in the Tang Dynasty. It was made by squeezing sugarcanes. You could drink it directly or pour it over desserts to enhance the flavor. Food enthusiasts would buy ice cubes and pour sugarcane juice over them, creating something like modern – day shaved ice. The poem “The sugarcane juice seeps through the silver cup, bringing coolness; the red fruits shine brightly in the jade bowl” makes you feel that the summer heat has lessened just by reading it.

Summary

Sweet, salty, light, or strong, after learning about all these beverages, which type is your favorite? It’s a pity that the ancient Chinese people didn’t get to know coffee. Otherwise, there would have been even more creative ways to make coffee.