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A drink made using gunpowder tea leaves while intoxicating its consumers with emotion should have a sombre hue of passion. Yet, a delicate pink comfortably fills the cup. While Chai is a staple drink in the South Asian subcontinent. Noon Chai is a drink that has become popularized within Jammu and Kashmir, which has naturally become the cultural norm in the region.
Noon Chai is also known as Shir Chai or even Gulabi chai (translating to pink tea) and has been popularized from the vast valleys of Jammu and Kashmir. During the mid-18th century, it’s believed that Jammu and Kashmiri men left for Punjab for a short while. Noon Chai subsequently joined them on the voyage home.
However, others believe that the drink originated from Turkmenistan. It merely earned its reputation once entering Jammu and Kashmir borders.
A picture of the drink.
The pink lotus colour of the drink is caused by the little baking soda added to the drink. It turns the drink into a passionate red hue (as the chlorophyll in the tea leaves reacts with the baking soda, the colour arises). The Noon chai earns its pink hue once milk is poured into the drink. It’s believed to be best enjoyed while piping hot (although it is still consumed, while cool.) and is sweet and salty, tastefully decorated with rich and mellow flavours.
Being chai connoisseurs, civilians of the region and communities drink tea together. The drink is not bounded by the hue; the taste brings communities closer. Many communities have vendors that sell the drink on the sides of vaster communities, which is appealing to many.
The intoxicating drink has become critically relevant to the region; literature has been frequently based around the drink. A notable example is Mullah Hamidullah Shahabadi (a Jammu and Kashmiri poet) who composed a poem about Noon chai. The profound adoration the prominent poet had for the drink was evident in each stanza, one of them reading,
“Had Jamshed taken a whiff from this pot,
his slow-beating pulse would have run like deer.”
The drink scarcely caught the attention of an English general in the 1800s. British general W.R. Lawrence mentioned that the drink seemed to be a diet itself rather than a beverage. His observation wasn’t not far off. The extreme consumption of Noon Chai has proved to be a growing norm. However, overconsumption is developing into insecurity considering the drink has its flaws.
The drink is believed to help reduce cardiovascular disease and help to keep bones healthy. With the large-scale consumption of the drink amongst the civilians of Jammu and Kashmir, scientists believe that the quantity of consumption is leading to an increase in gastric cancer. Gastric cancer, an already prevalent issue, can been caused by the salt in the drink.
A picture of the drink.
Nonetheless, this drink has been well-renowned in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Despite the possible health issues caused by a vast influx of consumption of the drink, it can be enjoyed in moderation without any complications. The scent of Noon chai is passed from house to house, filling every nose, and being enjoyed by each civilian of Jammu and Kashmir. Just as Shahabadi mentioned, the flavour and scent of Noon chai are so exquisite, they would have the slow-beating pulse of one running, just as a deer would.
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