Barley tea is a roasted-grain-based

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An in ...

made from

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

. It is a staple across many East Asian countries such as China, Japan,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It has a toasty, bitter flavor. In Korea, the tea is consumed either hot or cold, often taking the place of drinking water in many homes and restaurants. In Japan, it is usually served cold and is a popular summertime refreshment. The tea is also widely available in

tea bag A tea bag, or the compound teabag, is a small, porous, sealed bag or packet, typically containing tea leaves or the leaves of other herbs, which is immersed in water to steep and make an infusion. Originally used only for tea (''Camellia ...

s or bottled in

and Japan.

Etymology

In China, barley tea is called ''dàmài-chá'' (; ) or ''mài-chá'' (; ), in which ''dàmài'' (; ) or ''mài'' (; ) means "barley" and ''chá'' () means "tea". In Japan, barley tea is called ''mugi-cha'' (), which shares the same Chinese characters as Chinese ''mài-chá'' (; ), or ''mugi-yu'' (; ), in which ''yu'' (; ) also means "hot water". In

, barley tea is called ''bori-cha'' (), in which the native Korean ''bori'' () means "barley" and Sino-Korean ''cha'' (; ) shares the same Chinese character meaning "tea". In

, barley tea is called ''be̍h-á-tê'' (), in which ''be̍h-á'' () means "barley" and ''tê'' () means "tea".

History

The Japanese aristocracy has consumed the tea since the

Heian Period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

. http://www.mugicya.or.jp/history/ 全国麦茶工業共同組合, 麦茶の歴史.

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

began to consume it in

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

.. During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

, street stalls specializing in barley tea became popular among the common people.

Availability

The tea can be prepared by boiling roasted unhulled barley kernels in water or brewing roasted and ground barley in hot water. In Japan,

tea bags A tea bag, or the compound teabag, is a small, porous, sealed bag or packet, typically containing tea leaves or the leaves of other herbs, which is immersed in water to steep and make an infusion. Originally used only for tea (''Camellia ...

containing ground barley became more popular than the traditional barley kernels during the early 1980s and remain the norm today. The tea is also available prepackaged in

PET bottle Although PET is used in several applications, (principally textile fibres for apparel and upholstery, bottles and other rigid packaging, flexible packaging and electrical and electronic goods), as of 2022 only bottles are collected at a substa ...

Bottled tea

Bottled barley tea is sold at supermarkets, convenience stores, and in

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The ...

s in Japan and Korea. Sold mostly in

PET bottles Although PET is used in several applications, (principally textile fibres for apparel and upholstery, bottles and other rigid packaging, flexible packaging and electrical and electronic goods), as of 2022 only bottles are collected at a substa ...

, cold barley tea is a very popular summertime drink in Japan. In Korea, hot barley tea in heat-resistant PET bottles is also found in vending machines and in heated cabinets in convenience stores.

Blended barley and similar teas

, roasted barley is also often combined with roasted corn, as the corn's sweetness offsets the slightly bitter flavor of the barley. The tea made from roasted corn is called ''

oksusu-cha ''Oksusu-cha'' () or corn tea is a Korean tea made from corn. While ''oksusu-suyeom-cha'' () or corn silk tea refers to the tea made from corn silk, ''oksusu-cha'' can be made from corn kernels, corn silk, or a combination of both. The caffei ...

'' (corn tea), and the tea made from roasted corn and roasted barley is called ''oksusu-bori-cha'' (corn barley tea). Several similar drinks made from roasted grains include ''

hyeonmi-cha Brown rice tea, called ''hyeonmi-cha'' ( , lit. "brown rice tea") in Korean and (lit. "brown rice water"), (lit. "roasted brown rice water"), or (lit "roasted rice water") in Vietnamese, is an infusion made from roasted brown rice. Prepara ...

'' (brown rice tea), '' gyeolmyeongja-cha'' (sicklepod seed tea), and ''

memil-cha Buckwheat tea, known as ''memil-cha'' () in Korea, ''soba-cha'' () in Japan, and ''kuqiao-cha'' () in China, is a tea made from roasted buckwheat. Like other traditional Korean teas, ''memil-cha'' can be drunk either warm or cold and is som ...

'' (buckwheat tea). Roasted barley tea, sold in ground form and sometimes combined with

chicory Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to the Old World, it has been introduced to North America and Austra ...

or other ingredients, is also sold as a coffee substitute.

References