Development History As far as the origin of tea drinking culture is concerned, the earliest tea drinking in the afternoon should be in ancient China, which is famous for its tea culture. However, with the development of the times, it was the British who developed afternoon tea into an established custom. According to a popular legend, in 1840, two ladies of British upper class, Lady Anna, Duchess of Bedford, got bored one afternoon and asked the maid to prepare a small amount of toast, cream and black tea. This simple diet soon became an excellent way for British aristocrats to spend their afternoon. However, the development of afternoon tea is also influenced by local culture. In Britain, which is famous for its strict etiquette requirements, afternoon tea has gradually produced various etiquette requirements and habits. And it has become one of the indispensable links in the British upper class every day. Food culture The British people drink afternoon tea in a thrifty way, which can be called afternoon tea, from the formal tea party of the nobility to the high tea that can only eat snacks but not drink tea. With the development of the times, British women gradually have their own careers, and some people regard traditional afternoon tea as an outdated custom. Not all English people want to have afternoon tea now. Nowadays, English afternoon tea is usually held from 3: 30 pm to 4: 30 pm. The characteristics of English afternoon tea are Darjeeling black tea from British colony India and Earl Gray or Ceylon Highland black tea. In addition, Britain also has the habit of drinking milk tea in afternoon tea. With tea, lemon slices and milk cans. With the passage of time, some flavor teas that were not popular in the early days were gradually accepted by people, which made afternoon tea spread more widely among ordinary people. However, drinking tea is not the main link, and tasting cakes, sandwiches and other snacks has become the most important part. Regular afternoon tea snacks are generally set in the form of "three shelves": the first layer is tea sandwiches of various flavors, the second layer is scones, and the third layer is cupcakes and fruit towers. This three-layer dessert should be eaten from bottom to top first. In addition to this indispensable three-tier snack, some croissants, raisins, caviar and other foods will be placed to cater to the tastes of guests. Germany In Germany, afternoon tea is called Kaffee (coffee). Worldwide, with the prosperity of Britain at the end of 19, afternoon tea culture was brought from Britain to Europe and its colonies. Become one of the world cultural symbols. Almost every western restaurant serves afternoon tea. The afternoon tea industry has different tasting methods and names when it is promoted. For example, English afternoon tea is also known as Hightea by Hong Kong people, which shows the extensive influence of afternoon tea culture in the world.