thumb|180px|A glass of iced sweet tea with lemon
Sweet tea, also known as sweet iced tea, is a popular style of iced tea commonly consumed in the United States (especially the South) and Indonesia. Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea while the tea is either brewing or still hot, although artificial sweeteners are also frequently used. Sweet tea is almost always served ice cold. It may sometimes be flavored, most commonly with lemon The drink is sometimes tempered with baking soda to reduce its acidity.
Sweet tea is regarded as an important regional staple in the cuisine of the Southern United States and Indonesia. The availability of sweet tea in restaurants and other establishments is popularly used as an indicator to gauge whether an area can be considered part of the South.
History
United States
Sweet tea began as an item of luxury due to the expensive nature of its basic ingredients: tea, ice, and sugar.
In 2003, supposedly as an April Fool's joke, the Georgia State House of Representatives introduced a bill making it a "...misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature" to sell iced tea in a restaurant that did not also offer sweet iced tea on the menu.
Indonesia
Tea drinking in Indonesia began during the Dutch colonial rule. In the 17th century, the Dutch brought tea plants to Batavia via Sukabumi Beach. Tea plants were subsequently planted in Indonesia which were suitable to West Java. At the same time, in Central Java, sugar cane cultivation was successfully introduced. The ready availability of the two ingredients led to development of sweet tea, which remains the most popular beverage in the country.
Records
2010
The first recorded record regarding sweet tea was held by Chick-Fil-A. The corporation created the largest cup of sweet tea with 912 gallons of tea.
2015
The small town of Summerville, South Carolina took over the record for largest sweet tea at 1,452 gallons.
Months later, the company Lipton took over this record with 2,204 gallons of sweet tea.
2016
On National Tea Day, Summerville took back the record, making and containing 2,524 gallons of sweet tea.
See also
- Amacha (), a Japanese drink
- Tortuga (cocktail)
References
Bibliography
- History of Iced Tea and Sweet Tea
- Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree.
- A Slate article on sweet tea