茶是深受人们喜爱的饮品之一。中国人喜欢茶，英国人也喜欢茶。17世纪，中国茶叶漂洋过海去了英国，在英国大受欢迎。英国人将中式茶叶和牛奶、柠檬、蜂蜜以及西式点心结合起来，发展出了自己的英式茶文化。先来看看英国贵族庄园里的厨娘会如何冲泡一杯英式红茶。

 

提到下午茶，可能很多人都知道英文是“afternoon tea”。

 

afternoon tea: a small meal eaten in the late afternoon, usually including cake and a cup of tea

下午茶：（通常包括蛋糕和茶的）午后茶点

 

Afternoon tea on the terrace is also a treat.

露台上的下午茶也是一种享受。

 

 

 

但是今天小编主要想跟大家说的是“low tea”。看到这个“low tea”你的第一反应是什么？低级茶？低茶？其实，这个“low tea”是“afternoon tea”的另一种说法，我们也可以直接翻译成“下午茶”。

 

什么是low tea？

 

A selection of tea cakes sandwiches and scones is a true delight to any brit and many visitors to the rainy isle. 

精选的茶点、蛋糕、三明治和烤饼是所有英国人和许多来这个多雨小岛的游客的真正乐趣。

 

Tea was brought into the living room and served on a low table. Plates of scones with jam and whipped cream, cupcakes and cookies were all set out. This experience of afternoon tea is synonymous with ‘low tea.’ ‘Low’ referring to the fact it was served on a low table and at early afternoon. So low tea is just another name Afternoon Tea.

茶水被端进客厅，放在一张低矮的桌子上。上面已经摆好一盘盘的果酱、生奶油烤饼、纸杯蛋糕和饼干。这种下午茶的体验就是“low tea”的代名词。Low（低）指的是它是在一张低矮的桌子上端上来的，享用的时间是下午早些时候。所以“low tea”是“afternoon tea”的另一种说法。

 

 

 

While drinking tea in Britain dates back to the 1600s when tea first arrived from China, the custom of afternoon tea is relatively new by comparison. The origin of low tea in England is attributed to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford in the early 1800s. It was common for the upper classes to dine late in the evening around 8 pm, so it was a long time from the midday meal until then. Anna, experiencing that ‘sinking feeling’ that comes from mid-afternoon hunger, decided to be served with a light snack to carry her through the afternoon.

英国人喝茶的历史可以追溯到17世纪，当时茶刚从中国传入英国。相比之下，下午茶的习俗则相对较新。据传，英国的下午茶起源于19世纪早期，与第七任贝德福德公爵夫人Anna有关。当时，上层阶级在晚上8点左右吃饭是很常见的，所以午饭到晚饭中间有很长一段时间。下午三点左右的饥饿给安娜夫人带来了很难受的感觉，她决定吃点小点心，撑过一个下午。

 

Not wanting to spend this time alone, she quickly invited friends to join her and so began the tradition of afternoon tea. When she moved to London, she continued the practice, and the trend soon caught on. Tea was served at around 4 pm, just before the fashionable Hyde Park promenade, which made it a highly social event.

安娜不想独自度过这段时间，于是很快邀请朋友们一起喝下午茶。搬到伦敦后，她依然继续这种做法，于是这种趋势很快就流行起来。下午4点左右，就在时尚的海德公园长廊前，提供茶点，这使它成为一个高度社交活动。

 

 

 

 

 

除了“low tea”之外，还有“high tea”这种说法。“high tea”并不是下午茶。虽然有high这个词，但是和高级也没有关系。

 

Originally it was the tea time taken later in the day by the working class upon the arrival home from work, at around 5–6pm, since they did not have the luxury to stop at mid-afternoon. Virtually a main meal, it was the equivalent to what most of us would term ‘dinner’ and included meat and vegetables.

“high tea”最初是工人阶级下班回家后，下午5-6点左右的下午茶休息时间，因为他们无法在下午三点左右休息。但这几乎是一顿主餐，相当于我们大多数人所说的“晚餐”，包括肉类和蔬菜。

 

Contrary to popular belief and the aristocratic sounding name, High Tea did not originate amongst upper classes. In fact, the opposite is true; High Tea is a predominantly working class meal that was traditionally taken between 5 and 7pm – the time that labourers would arrive home from their physically demanding jobs. It was called High Tea because, in contrast to the cakes and tea at low coffee tables of the upper class Low Tea, High Tea was enjoyed at a high table – the dining table.

与流行的看法和听起来贵族的名字相反，“high tea”并不是起源于上层阶级。事实上，正好相反；“high tea”是一种以工人阶级为主的晚餐，通常在下午5点至7点之间享用，这段时间是工人们从体力劳动中下班回家的时间。它之所以被称为“High Tea”，是因为与上层阶级在低矮的咖啡桌上享用蛋糕和茶不同，“High Tea”是在一张高一点的桌子——餐桌上享用的。

 

 

 

The foods enjoyed at High Tea were diametrically opposite to those at Low Tea. Instead of crustless cucumber sandwiches and petit fours, workers would dig in to meat pies, pickled salmon, cold cuts, bread and butter and jam. Tea, the beverage, was also drunk in copious quantities.

“High Tea”时享受的食物与下午茶（Low Tea）时所享受的食物完全相反。工人们不再吃无皮的黄瓜三明治和小蛋糕，而是吃肉饼、腌鲑鱼、冷切盘、面包、黄油和果酱。也大量地喝茶和饮料。

 

Low Tea - the high class and quintessentially British tradition that is also known as Afternoon Tea. It couldn’t sustain a working class labourer, but was enough to tide over the leisure-loving ladies of the upper classes until their evening meal. 

“Low Tea”是贵族和经典的英国传统，也被称为下午茶。它不能让一个工人阶级的工人吃饱，但足以让那些爱好休闲的上流社会女士们撑到吃晚饭的时候。

 

The differences between High Tea and Low Tea reflect some of the differences between the classes. Working people didn’t have time to take leisurely afternoon meals, in the same way the non-working classes couldn’t face a heavy meal at five o’clock when dinner was served at eight. Even today, modern workers tend to have ‘tea’ at around 6pm after work, with a biscuit and a cup of coffee to get them through the afternoon. 

“high tea”和“low tea”的区别也反映了不同阶级之间的区别。工作的人没有时间悠闲地吃下午饭。同样，如果晚上8点吃晚饭，不工作的人也不能5点的时候吃一顿大餐。即使在今天，现代工作族也倾向于在下午6点左右下班后喝“茶”，外加一块饼干和一杯咖啡，让自己度过整个下午。

 

 

 

These days, Afternoon (Low) Tea is the preserve of smart hotels for birthday treats, whereas High Tea (minus the actual tea) is still an everyday meal taken by millions of people.

如今,下午茶（low tea）是高档酒店为生日招待而专门提供的，而实际不含茶的“high tea”仍然是数百万人每天享用的一顿饭。

 

简单来说，“low tea”是用来消遣的甜点下午茶时光。而“high tea”则是类似于正餐，让人吃饱的食物。

 

 

 

最后，小编再来和大家介绍一些相关的表达。

 

轻茶(lightTea)：包括茶、烤松饼和小甜点，什么时候都可以享用。

 

奶油茶(CreamTea)：基本和轻茶一样，有茶和甜品。

 

皇家茶(RoyalTea)：在普通的下午茶的基础上另加香槟酒。

 

全席茶(FullTea)：在英国，传统上这种喝茶方式通常在下午16点到17点左右，不会超过晚上19点，包括茶、面包、黄油和蛋糕。

 

 

 

brew tea 泡茶；沏茶

 

They also use it to brew tea. 

他们还用它来泡茶。

 

tea set 茶具

 

A tea set is a nice wedding gift. 

一套茶具是个很好的结婚礼物。