Tea Oil / Oil Tea / The Dong People of China
I got an e-mail yesterday asking me what “tea oil” is and if I would recommend it. I’ve never used tea oil (though I’ve seen it advertised for skin care), so I don’t know how good it is for cooking; Deh-ta Hsiung does say it’s one of the most common cooking oils in China, in his book The Chinese Kitchen. What’s most interesting though is something I read in
The book is a compilation of articles that appeared in the publication Petits Propos Culinaires. There is a piece by James Bauman, in which he talks about the
“great Dong traditional meal, Yau Cha, literally ‘oil tea’.
Tea grows wild all over the mountains of South China, and a century or so ago, tea seed oil was a major export of Guangxi, being sent as far away as the USA. Today the trade is showing signs of revival, with tea oil being touted as a possibly less harmful cooking medium than some other oils. Certainly many of the hilltribes have used little else for generations, and the Dong have turned its use into a ritual; not as refined as the Japanese tea ceremony perhaps, but a ritual nonetheless.”
He then goes on to describe the ‘ritual’, which is also mentioned in detail in The Kam People of China (Kam people are a.k.a. the Dong people, one of 56 recognized ethnic groups in China):
Oil tea has become a Kam specialty over the last hundred years, having probably been borrowed from the Han Chinese. It is more common in the northern than in the southern Kam areas. First, ordinary rice is fried together with dried tea leaves, then salt and water are added and the mixture is brought to the boil. It is filtered and served in bowls. Peanuts, soya beans, small pieces of glutinous rice cakes, and spices are then fried in tea oil and added together with puffed rice to make the tea. One chopstick is used to help in the process of ‘drinking’ the tea. To be polite, the visitor should have at least three bowls.
There are other subtleties to the ritual such as the type of tea used, the “spices” which include fermented fish/rice, and the reasons why only one chopstick is provided. (Pu Erh and Lapsang Souchong, large-leaved teas used for the oil tea ‘ceremony’ are more easily found than Shui Sin/Sen, which is a bit more fragrant than jasmine. If you don’t have a local store that carries the last, you can order it as part of an assortment at Pearl River.)
More information on the ‘net:
The Dong tea ritual described in detail
Professor Jacqueline Newman, Chinese cookbook collector, researcher, and author of Food Culture in China, shares her experience in Flavor and Fortune.
A discussion at Chowhound
the Wikipedia entry, for what it’s worth
John Amato, project photographer for a UNESCO-funded study of the Kam people, has an amazing collection of photographs here.
Nursery Production of Tea Oil Camellia Under Different Light Levels.
More information about the Dong people.
You can buy tea oil directly from The Republic of Teaat Sur La Table.
Update:
David Reid has pictures of the process, although not cold-pressed.
Gina Cacho has recipes here.
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POSTED IN: Chinese, Ingredient Spotlight, Where To Buy Asian Food
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