Hey #medievaltwitter does anyone have references to scholarship on the question of why medieval Europeans did not import tea? They had access to Chinese products, so why not tea? My search for "tea" on the IMB turned up bupkis.
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Replying to @sdavissecord
What an interesting question! In addition to things already mentioned, I'd guess tea=heavier than eg pepper per "portion" (40–60 times, by my very rough est.), would that be a factor in reducing supply/demand? Also recall reading spread of tea drinking in east linked to Buddhism?
5 replies 0 retweets 27 likes -
Replying to @caitlinrgreen
Thanks! Pepper was far from the only "spice" imported in bulk from China--all kinds of things like alum and dyestuffs and many, many other eastern products that could also have been heavier or lighter depending. And ceramics were way heavier, but they were imported into Muslim
3 replies 0 retweets 17 likes -
Replying to @sdavissecord
Oh absolutely—just pondering it as one factor amongst several that led to tea not becoming established in A. Asia/N. Africa/Europe in medieval era! Tea as relatively bulky Vs spices etc (linking tea and spices here as both need eating/drinking cultures >
2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
*W. Asia etc
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