By Merle von KOMBUCHERY
Everything about the origin of the fermented tea drink
The fermentation of the tea drink has a long tradition
Over the last few centuries, a number of legends and myths have accumulated around kombucha. Some even seem a little amusing. But they also show the long tradition of the drink with the unusual name and the many healthy ingredients .
The tea drink is not a fad of recent years or a modern invention. According to tradition, his birthplace is most likely somewhere in East Asia, Japan or China. For some time now, the fermented soft drink has been produced and drunk, especially in eastern regions, from Eastern Europe to Russia to India.
Chinese legend about kombucha
On the one hand, a Chinese legend says that fermented tea drinks were made around 247 BC. - 221 BC was created. Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi set his mind on achieving immortality. He commissioned an alchemist to brew a drink that would give him eternal life. The alchemist gave him kombucha. A few years after getting used to kombucha, he switched to pills and died. Well, he would have stuck with natural medicine.
The Japanese doctor Kombu as namesake
The Japanese doctor Kombu may also be the namesake. The doctor with the name "Kombi-ha-chimu-kamu-ki-mu" is said to have been the last rescue of the dying Emperor Inyokos in the year 414 AD. He gave the emperor a healing drink . According to legend, this is an earlier form of tea drink.
Japanese seaweed tea
The name kombucha could also be derived from a Japanese algae tea "kombu" - algae + "cha" - tea = "kombucha" . For centuries, a small error in the tradition could have crept in and the fermented tea today has little to do with ours To do tea drink.
Japanese samurai in the 10th century
The Japanese samurai in the 10th century AD may also have used kombucha to gain strength for the next battle. According to a legend, the samurai even back then carried the miracle drink on their hips.
Today, the tea drink is still on everyone's lips
Known primarily in Russia and the Balkans. The various family recipes are carefully guarded and passed down from generation to generation. Giving away a newly formed mushroom culture to another household connects people there and strengthens the community.
The personal connection to kombucha and appreciation of the special drink is clear in the countless nicknames
“Japanese Mother”, “Russian Flower”, “Medusa Tea”, “Hero Mushroom”, “Magic Mushroom”
One thing is certain! There are countless loving stories about the drink, almost always centering around its healing and revitalizing effects.
By drinking kombucha, you are upholding an age-old tradition. If you even make the drink yourself, you are doing as the ancient Japanese and Chinese did and keeping the magic of kombucha alive.