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PORCELAIN AND TEA – A LUXURIOUS DUO |
Imagine the delight brought to the lips when the first cup of tea was consumed in Russia’s chilly northern capitol. Chinese merchants had introduced the fragrant beverage along with porcelain for its drinking. The French novelist, Alexandre Dumas, deemed “The best tea is drunk in Saint Petersburg and in the whole of Russia.” When assembling his culinary dictionary, Dumas noted that lengthy sea transit deprives the leaves of their quality, and only in Russia was tea delivered by land.
Tea drinking spread throughout Russia, and indeed, it was not long before the imperial court and its close confidants demanded the finest grades of tea and the thinnest and most beautiful porcelain in which to serve it.
I n the early 18th century, Russia’s Emperor Peter the Great turned the country’s face toward Europe. Luxuries enjoyed by continental aristocrats became all the rage in the capitol of St. Petersburg. In 1744, Peter’s daughter, the Empress Elizabeth, opened the country’s first porcelain manufacturer, Imperial Porcelain Factory. The manufacturer produced exquisite china, esteemed among the best in Europe, and supplied the imperial family and its circle. |
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