Teh tarik

Teh tarik is a hot milk tea made from strong black tea and condensed milk, most popular in Malaysia and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. It takes its name from the practice of pouring the drink back and forth between two vessels, which cools it and creates a frothy top, and it is regarded as Malaysia's unofficial national drink.

History

Its roots lie in the Malay Peninsula in the late nineteenth century. Indian Muslim immigrants running drink stalls at the edge of British rubber plantations served masala chai to workers, and according to the sources, they later switched to tea dust and added condensed milk, both to cut costs and to mask the bitterness of the cheap tea.

Over time the drink spread through working-class neighbourhoods and street food stalls. During the colonial period it became popular among Indian, Malay and Chinese workers alike, and after independence it came to be seen as a shared national emblem. Singapore and Malaysia both claim it as a local speciality.

Culture

Teh tarik usually accompanies breakfast or a snack at mamak stalls and local coffee shops, often with roti canai, bread or pastries. It is tied to social life in places where people of different ethnic groups and religions share the same tables. In Malaysia, the phrase meeting over a teh tarik means chatting amicably or settling differences informally.

Variants include teh ais, served with ice, teh halia with ginger, teh madras and teh-C made with evaporated milk. The pouring is also a show: the most skilled vendors stretch the stream over long distances, and national competitions are held. In 2024 the Malaysian breakfast culture, including teh tarik, was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.