Here is history of chai in Kashmir (from greaterkashmir website)
History of Shir Chai (Salt Tea)
Iqbal Ahmad
The Kashmiris, like other people, have lost most of their traditions and adopted new
ones in their place. They developed new customs and new tastes but still there are some peculiar traditions alive in our society. We prefer rice instead of bread. The staple food of Kashmiris is rice and Shir chai is liked and relished by them. The Shir Chai (Salt Tea) is added with milk. Kahwa (Sugar Tea) is not always mixed with milk. Earlier the Kashmiris would make the tea in a Samavar. Previously the cooked rice and tea were served in earthenware plates and cups but nowadays these have been replaced by a variety of copper and Chineseware. The boiled rice and Shir Chai (Salt Tea) are Kashmir’s food culture. Kahwa (Sugar Tea) is however served only at special occasions.
Maximum Kashmiris are fond of Shir Chai (Salt Tea). The women serve their families
with this tea. It is usually served two times daily in the routine matter; it is being
served at mornings and afternoon. The process of preparing and serving of this tea is
centuries old.
History reveals that the people from Gobi desert upto Pir Panchal has a common
method for making and taking of tea. This pleasant beverage is said to have been
introduced in Kashmir by Mirza Haider Daughlat (popularly known here by the name of
Mira Kashgari) in about 15th century AD. China is believed to be the origin of tea
wherefrom it acquired world wide acceptance. The people of inner Asia use salt instead
of sugar in preparing it. The similar method is followed in Kashmir. During the
preparation addition of a little bicarbonate of Soda gives it a pink colour and whether
one takes it with roasted rice, wheat, maize flour (sotu) or some kind of bread, it tastes
alike.
Bakon Schonberg studying the habits of Kashmiri and Tibetan people says, "with the
inhabitants of Tibet, as well as with those of Kashmir tea is an article of daily use.
Despite heavy consumption of tea in Kashmir it was never produced here. History has it,
that tea was imported from China till late 19th century AD. The people who had no
purchasing power to buy tea used to employ yewbark and strawberry roots as a substitute for it and when cheaper Indian tea was imported via the Jhelum valley road, it
became accessible to almost every household. Some scholars believe that tea in Kashmir
was introduced by the traders who came into the state from across the pamirs. Knight, a
European traveler, who visited Ladakh in 1891 says, "In this ravine we met a caravan of
Tibetans who were on their way from Lhasa to Kashmir with a number of horses laden
with brick tea. This tea is not very palatable to Europeans but is held in high esteem by the Kashmiries for it costs two rupees or so a pound in a bazar at Srinagar whereas Indian tea can be purchased for a few annas a pound". It clearly indicated that Kashmiris preferred Chinese tea instead of Indian tea. The demand for this tea had been so that it was sold for two rupees per pound.
Baron Hugel, another traveler, on his visit to certain merchants in Srinagar found that
products of central Asia were spread before him. He saw thirty two packets of brick tea
brought from the interior of China through Aksu and Turfan.
However with the change in political boundaries the trade too changed its direction.
In post 1947 period the Chinese tea disappeared in Kashmir markets and instead hill tea from Kangra and Assam took its place. The tastes and habits of taking Shir Chai (Salt Tea) had not changed. The modern types of Lipton and coffee and other soft drinks could not replace the centuries old tradition of taking salt tea (Shir Tea).
