The "Tea Soup" Made with the Dragon-Spout Bronze Kettle

The "Tea Soup" Made with the Dragon-Spout Bronze Kettle

　　　　    At snack stalls in just a few places such as the South Food Street and the Ancient Culture Street, it’s common to see the unique scene of tea soup being made and sold using a peculiar dragon-spout bronze kettle — a highly eye-catching display full of folk charm.

A signboard hung from a long pole consists of two diamond-shaped wooden boards adorned with red tassels, each bearing the Chinese characters for “tea soup.” Next to the signboard sits a specially made large purple copper kettle with a dragon spout on a platform. It weighs 20 kilograms and can hold over 30 kilograms of water. The tea soup can only be made when the charcoal fire in the core of the kettle boils the water to 150 degrees Celsius. A small whistle beside the kettle lid emits a “woo woo” sound. The tea master holds a bowl in one hand and lifts the kettle with the other, tilting the spout downward so that a stream of boiling water pours directly into the bowl — in an instant, the bowl is filled and the tea soup is ready.

This dragon-spout bronze kettle not only serves the practical function described above but is also an exquisitely beautiful work of art. The upper and lower parts of the kettle are adorned with bands of copper-patterned decorations. Above the spout and handle is inlaid a copper dragon. Some kettles feature a large dragon head as the spout, while the handle is formed from a coiled dragon. The dragon’s whiskers, claws, and scales are clearly distinguishable. At the tips of two whiskers extending from the dragon’s mouth are two red pom-poms that tremble nonstop with the motion of the tea master tilting the kettle to pour. Even before tasting the delicious “tea soup,” people are already enchanted by this uniquely beautiful dragon-spout bronze kettle and the masterful performance of the tea maker.

The main ingredients of the tea soup are sorghum flour and broomcorn millet flour, with seasonings including brown sugar, white sugar, shredded preserved vegetables, shredded red candy, sesame, walnut kernels, assorted candied fruits, raisins, hawthorn strips, and pine nuts. The sorghum flour is mixed into a thin paste with boiling water and then combined with various seasonings to make the tea soup. It tastes fragrant, sweet, and smooth — extremely delicious. The sorghum flour cooked with boiling water from the dragon-spout bronze kettle contains trace amounts of copper, providing an additional nutritional benefit when consumed.

This delicious “tea soup,” paired with the beautiful utensil “dragon-spout bronze kettle,” offers a delightful experience to both the palate and the eyes. Truly, it's a flavor like no other.     (Tianjin)