How Our National Drink Came To Be
Written by Aqil
Welcome to Food Origins, a new series which talks about where, how, and why some of our favourite Malaysian foods came to be, and for the first installment, we take an inquisitive look at the ever so popular Teh Tarik.
A drink fit for any occasion, teh tarik is a unique beverage on its own. Frothy, sweet head that immediately transitions to a smooth and warm drink, it is found at almost every eatery in Malaysia, a complement for breakfast, teatime, dinner, or your lepak sessions at night; but where did such an iconic drink come from? And why is the tea “Pulled?”
In order to trace back the roots of this famous beverage, we would need to go all the way back 70+ years ago, around the time when World War II just ended. During those times, South East Asia’s demand for labour was at its peak, causing huge waves of immigrant workers from China and India to come over to Malaysia and Singapore to find work (Temasik at that time, part of Old Malaya). This was the seed that birthed the drink as we know it.
The Indian Muslim immigrants who came from India brought along their tradition of sarabat, or in English, drink stalls. Some work as chai wallahs (tea seller) and opened tea stalls across factories or mining caves. Workers from those places would come out and drink teh tarik from the stalls that were opened, and eventually, it became a staple of everyday life for them to drink it, and was eventually assimilated into the culture over time.
So, how is the tea made? Well, the original chai from India was made with the addition of spices, which was abundant in the country. Before trade routes opened and spices were made more available here, the tea sellers in Malaya had to improvise, as the spices used in the original recipe was not easily accessible for most. Thus, came the use of condensed milk, which changed the original flavour completely and brought along the familiar taste that everyone in Malaysia know and love.
For the type of tea used, the original tea sellers in Malaya had to use tea dust, which was basically leftovers of tea leaves from processing. This was their only affordable tea source as their wages were incredibly low back then, causing them to be more creative when they created this drink. However, tea dust was known to be extremely bitter, so the condensed milk helped reduce the bitter taste to tolerable levels.
What’s special about this drink is the tarik part. Now tarik basically means pull, so this means that the tea is technically pulled when being poured into a glass. This is done by pouring the drink back and forth between a pitcher and a glass. Doing so causes the sugar and milk to mix with the tea more effectively, increasing the taste much better than if you stirred the drink with a spoon. Also, the only way to produce a proper thick and foamy end on top of the glass is to pull the drink, and since everyone loved it so much, the technique stuck throughout history. The art of the tarik has been so special and unique that competitions have been held to see who can be the best teh tarik maker.
What was once a labourer’s staple, has now become a de facto choice that’s well known across all edges of Malaysia. Whatever race, religion, or creed, it’s nice to see a drink unite everyone at a table, sharing endless amounts of stories, accompanying sessions that go late into the night, and providing everyone a drink that’ll fill your soul (and arteries).
