Tea 101-The mystery of Iced Tea

I remember I read an article posted on The Tea Association of USA-Iced Tea: The Distinctively American Beverage by Steven Smith and Steven Wright. This is not the first time I read articles which referred Richard Blechynden as the person who "invented" iced tea.

While others might say, like another article 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair by Lyndon N. Irwin, that iced tea was invented earlier than 1904.

I have never had real evidence until I bought an old old cook book-The Century Cook Book by Mary Ronald. I love yard sales and enjoy the smell from old items. One time I stopped by at a yard sale in Livingston and bought over hundreds dollars worth of old books @ $1 each!! I struggled to find a space for these treasure!!

The other day I was thinking to find out how people in early 20 centuries brew their tea then I found this "Iced tea" session in my book!! The one I have was published in 1904, 2nd edition. It was copyrighted in 1895. That means before 1895 or earlier, iced tea was not too new for Americans.

 

While I contined my research, I found another interesting book online-The Kentuky Housewife by Mrs. Lettic Bryan, which was published in 1839!! There's no really iced tea recipe, but it included some thing like "Iced Orange juice", "Iced Cherry Juice"

"Iced Cherry Juice:

Beat the white of 6 eggs to a stiff froth, mix them well with a quart of thick cherry juice, and three quarters of a pound of powdered loaf sugar, still it until sugar is dissolved and freeze it. "

 

 This means before 1839, people already knew how to make iced beverages!!!

People, like Russian, or Inuit, who live in cold weather learned how to store food in iced or snow houses. I know Russians used to make iced beer in old days.

Who first started iced tea then? To me, it's a mystery!

Do you know any?