Salty Oil Tea of Yao and Zhuang People

Zhuang is the biggest minority in China with a population of thirty million people. Yao is another ethnic group. Both Zhuang and Yao live in GuangXi Province. The salty oil tea is rather a dish than a drink as their specific tea tradition.

The tea makers usually pick up fresh gentle new leaves from the tea tree to make salty oil tea. They just put the leaves in hot water quickly, and leave it until dry. The other ingredients include soy bean, peanut, pop rice, fried chicken, shrimp, stir fried pig liver, oil, salt, ginger, and onion. Everything is kept in small pieces. When the tealeaves are dry, the maker put them in a pot with oil to stir-fry, add ginger and salt, and pour in some water. After it is boiling, get rid of the water and add onion to the tea. At last put all other components inside and stir. Now the salty oil tea is finished.

A skilled tea maker is highly respected. Sometimes when local people have some honored guests in their family, they will find some good tea makers in the village and ask them to make tea for the visitors. It is also a good ceremony to entertain the guests.