Teh tarik

The expression teh tarik is composed of the Malay words for "tea" (teh) and "pulled" (tarik), and can be translated as "pulled tea". == Background ==

According to the BBC, "Black tea was first introduced by the Chinese in the 1830s; the craft of pulling was developed by South Indian street cooks after 1850, and milk and sugar were introduced nearly 100 years later during the end of British colonialism". == Origin and history ==

and tarik at a stall in Jalan Kayu, Singapore According to the government of Singapore, the origins of teh tarik can be traced to Indian Muslim immigrants in the Malay Peninsula who set up drink stalls serving masala chai as early as the 1870s at the entrance of rubber plantations to serve workers there; after World War II these vendors for economic reasons switched to using tea dust, the taste of which is bitter, and added condensed milk to mask the bitterness, creating teh tarik. Singapore and Malaysia, which split in 1965, both claim it as a specialty of local cuisine. Malaysia nominated it, along with nasi lemak and roti canai, for 2024 United Nations recognition as intangible cultural heritage foods. ==Ingredients, preparation and serving==

Tea leaves, tea bags, or tea dust are boiled or steeped strongly and strained. An element of showmanship exists in the serving of tarik. The ability to drag a long stream of tea above the heads of the patrons without giving them a shower is an amusing novelty for the locals and tourists alike. Food & Wine called it "the world's most athletic tea ritual". In Malaysia, servers who are adept at pouring the tea from further away, theatrically and seemingly in "defi[ance of] physics", become local celebrities, and pulling contests draw thousands of spectators. ==Variations==

• Teh ais is tea sweetened with condensed milk that is simply served in a glass with ice cubes. It may also be known as tarik ping, teh ping, • Teh halia, tarik flavoured with ginger. • Teh madras, a variant popular in Sabah and Labuan, is made with frothed milky tea layered on top of hot milk. • Teh-C or teh si is tea made with unsweetened evaporated milk, unlike the traditional tarik which is made with sweetened condensed milk. Vendors however will add sugar to Teh-C unless specifically asked not to. The Malay word for nil or zero, kosong, is used to indicate that the drinker does not want their beverage to be sweetened. The ‘C’ stands for "Carnation", a popular brand of evaporated milk. A three-layered tea variation of the drink called Teh-C Peng Special is available and sold in most kopitiams, consisting of black tea, milk and palm sugar syrup from the top to bottom layer respectively. Teh-C ais is the iced drink version of it with ice cubes. • Teh-O, also known as teh kosong, refers to black tea without any addition of dairy products or creamers. "Kosong" means "zero" in Malay. Like teh-C, sugar is usually added, except when teh-O kosong is specified, where once again sugar is omitted. Teh O ais is the iced drink version of it, with ice cubes. • Kopi tarik is local coffee, dark-roasted with margarine and sugar, which is sweetened with condensed milk and pulled to froth it up. Drinks made with Milo and Nescafe may also be served with the tarik treatment by vendors who specialise in tarik. == Cultural importance ==

The drink in Malaysia is seen as a symbol of navigating conflict and as a common drink popular among disparate cultural groups. == See also ==