Global Impact | From milk tea to noodles, the history and influence of Chinese food culture

In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we take a deep dive into Chinese food culture, its history and how it influences cuisines from around the region

Reading Time:7 minutes

Hong Kong-style milk tea is served with popular Hong Kong fare at the HOKO Cafe, a pop-up cafe in the trendy London neighborhood of Shoreditch. Photo: AP

Published: 2:00pm, 14 Oct 2024

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How much do we love milk tea? Let us count the ways. With more than 2 million cups consumed every day in Hong Kong alone, the sweet and creamy allure of this drink reveals that it is more than just a solid recipe – it represents an identity that transcends borders. Milk tea, you could say, is in Hong Kong’s DNA.

Around the world, creative upstarts are pouring their hearts into new variations of milk tea, constantly finding new ways to reframe this beloved, ubiquitous working-class staple.

“We hope that Hong Kong-style milk tea means more than just liquid to the new generation,” says millennial milk tea master Alex Leung, who has tapped into a scientific approach to create Mt Waves, a ready-to-drink bottled milk tea brand that has also diversified into tea-flavoured gelato sold at major convenience stores.

Sharing a culture also means crafting solutions and paving the way for accessibility. For Canada-based entrepreneurs Pep So and Stanley Tsui, the lack of quality milk tea in parts of Vancouver led them to launch Kong Tea, a DIY kit consisting of tea leaves, sugar, evaporated milk and a special filter.

Since their launch in December, the pair have seen orders from all over the country – even as far as Nova Scotia on the east coast – reflecting a growing demand for this taste of home.