![]() The popularity was simple: It was tasty, easy to make, and most importantly, a digestive aid. Grandmothers administered the “chayniy grib” to generations of children, and prisoners even made it in their cells. After wartime, pharmacists across western Europe played up its Far East image, too, calling it everything from “Fungojapan” to “Mo-Gu” (from the Chinese word for mushroom).įew places in the world took to kombucha more than in Russia, where it became a Soviet Union staple. Notably, Russian and German POWs drank it during World War I. ![]() Historical accounts vary, but researchers cite accounts that the drink traveled along trade routes from East Asia to Russia to Ukraine, or Germany, or Switzerland. Photo credit: GT’s Living Foods From the Far East to western EuropeĪcross ancient trade routes, kombucha found devotees in India, Europe, and the Far East. It’s like drinking a piece of human history. The mystery of kombucha’s origins are part of its appeal. Through the ages, the tales around this storied drink ebb and flow, but for kombucha lovers, this sense of mystery is all part of the appeal. Combine the Japanese words for kelp (kombu) and tea (cha), and the rest makes sense. In Japanese, though, kombucha refers to a kelp tea and is a different drink altogether. If he existed, then theoretically he was responsible for the name. In about 414 BCE, a Korean doctor reportedly brought the method for kombucha production across the sea to Japan, where he served on the court of Ingyō, Japan’s 19th emperor, and extolled the virtues of the drink.Īccording to legend, that doctor’s name was Kombu. They called it the “Tea of Immortality” and believed there was some truth to that name. (Hence the 2/21 date for World Kombucha Day.) Brewers in northern China and Korea figured out how to take symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast (together they form a gelatinous disc known as a SCOBY) and use that to ferment sugared tea. The precise origin of kombucha is slightly hazy, but the first recipes are thought to date back as far as 221 BCE, the start of China’s Qin Dynasty. Deceptively simple to brew but hard to perfect, kombucha has been celebrated for centuries. Grab a bottle (Gingerade and Trilogy are great choices) and toast with us as we walk back through the years. In honor of World Kombucha Day on February 21, we’re walking through the history of the drink: from the ancient Qin Dynasty to the present day, when ’booch legends like GT Dave of GT’s Living Foods are still innovating on time-tested recipes. grocers sell about $180 million worth per year - and it’s beloved for everything from its probiotic and antioxidant properties to, well, its fizzy and slightly pungent taste.Īlthough it might seem like kombucha just recently bubbled up into our grocery stores and home fridges, there’s a 2,000-year-plus history behind the brew. The trendy fermented beverage has millions of fans - U.S. It does not store any personal data.Stop by a few supermarkets in your area, and just try to find one without kombucha on the shelves. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". ![]() The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. ![]()
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