Noon Chai, Kashmir’s favorite salty beverage

Noon Chai or Sheer Chai—a pink-coloured salted tea with a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) has been the traditional beverage of Kashmiris for centuries. People in Kashmir are known to be connoisseurs of making Noon Chai and usually consume it in the morning and the afternoon with Tchwoer or Girda (Oven-baked bread). What makes the tea pink? While preparing the tea, it develops a maroon hue through oxidation and aeration by mixing a certain amount of sodium bicarbonate. However, the origins of Noon Chai is not confirmed as to…

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