New Delhi:From exploring history of the piping hot spicy drink to presenting over 60 delicious recipes of the heady concoction of tea leaves and spices, "The Book of Chai" celebrates its unique role in Indian culture as the book pays homage to India's beloved beverage. The book, written by British-Indian author Mira Manek and published by Hachette India, is touted to be a celebration of tea, the delicious drink central to life in India, now rapidly growing in popularity and being enjoyed across the world.
"The idea of 'The Book of Chai' came about a year after I launched my online business. To my delight, writing this book has been an enriching, eye-opening and therapeutic experience, rather like chai itself. "Even though I've always loved drinking chai, I discovered so much more about the fascinating global history of tea and spices through my research," writes Manek, who also owns her own chai brand, in the book.
With over three and a half million hectares of the earth's surface covered by tea plantations, tea is the most popular beverage in the world, after water, and India consumes more tea than any other country globally. India, also the second-largest tea producer in the world after China, consumed approximately 1.2 billion kg of tea in 2022, according to the book.