I suppose you could pickle just about any food, but some items are clearly better suited to the process than others. Until recently, my only knowledge of pickled tea came in the form of lahpet, a traditional Burmese tea salad made from fermented tea leaves combined with ingredients such as garlic, peas, peanuts, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, ginger, and coconut.
However, further research revealed that Myanmar does not have a monopoly on pickled tea. Similar preparations exist in countries such as China and Thailand.
Japan also has its own variation, which I discovered while reading this study examining antioxidant compounds in Awa-ban fermented tea, a type of pickled tea specific to the Tokushima region. The research identified a compound known as resorcinol, which was present in this fermented tea but not in standard black or green teas evaluated in the study.
Also known as Awa bancha, this tea takes its name from both the region and the Japanese term associated with its seasonal production. Its preparation process has been compared to the fermentation techniques used to make foods like sauerkraut. The result is a yellowish tea with a distinctly sour flavor.
The production process typically involves harvesting tea leaves in summer, boiling and rubbing them, then fermenting them anaerobically in barrels using naturally occurring bacteria such as Lactobacillus. This fermentation gives the tea its characteristic taste and chemical composition.
For a more detailed look at how this tea is produced, including photographs of the process, see this illustrated guide to Awa bancha production and traditional fermentation methods, which notes that the tea is made in only a few regions where environmental conditions are suitable.
See more of William I. Lengeman’s articles in this archive of tea-related writing by the author.
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