Nothing seems to cross social, ethnic and economic boundaries, particularly in the South, more than a glass of iced tea or sweet tea. June is National Iced Tea Month. Here is its story in the U.S.A.
South Carolina in 1795 was the only colony producing tea plants. The popularity of this “new” plant spread across the country. Recipes for tea punch using green tea, typically spiked with alcohol, began popping up. By 1879, the first printed recipe appeared, adding sugar and lemon to the green tea drink.
These teas became very much in vogue during the 19th century. American cookbooks showed that cold tea was being served as a punch or drink. The word cold sometimes meant the tea was allowed to cool completely before drinking—ice was not always available. This is also the period when black tea, which was less expensive, began replacing green tea. The use of both continued up until World War II. Seven decades later, black tea is the preferred version.
On an unseasonably hot day in 1904 at the...