Bowls: types and features of choice

Tea drinking is a wonderful pastime for many people. Everyone loves to visit, for the holidays or for a cup of tea. Tea drinking is the key to a good conversation. Time flies by with tea, and you can drink it at any time of the day. But the peculiarity of tea drinking lies not only in tasty treats or in an expensive type of tea, but also in the container in which the tea is served.

A bowl is a small, hemispherical container without handles. Bowls of various sizes and volumes are used as containers for soups, tea and other dishes that are served at the table. Due to the unique rounded shape and size in bowls, portioned food is often served on a common table. In oriental cuisine, they like to pamper guests with a wide variety of different dishes. Since many people want to try everything at once, such saucers ideally fulfill such a role. The homeland of the word "piala" is Persia, where it sounds like "piyale". It is believed that this type of tableware is one of the oldest types of tableware in the world. Its first use began in the 1st century AD. Clay served as the material for creating the bowls.

Over time, a person decides to surround himself with more comfortable and practical things, so breaking clay is replaced by glass, as well as porcelain and ceramics. Many people have a question about why there are no handles on such dishes. This happened due to the nomadic way of life of the eastern peoples. If there was a handle on the bowl, it would interfere with the transportation of dishes in bags. Due to the absence of this element, space is saved, and the bowl itself is less exposed to mechanical stress, and the possibility of breaking the bowl is reduced.

Now there is a mass production of bowls from the following materials:

• faience;
• clay;
• glass;
• porcelain;
• plastic;
• metal;
• wood;
• coconut.

The size and volume of bowls in their traditional form is very small: from about 25 to 120 ml, because it all depends on the manufacturer. The parameters of the walls, their thickness, the presence of an ornament or pattern, a lid or double walls also depend on the place of production of the dishes.

Also, a lot depends on the purpose for which such dishes will be used: whether they will be used for tea drinking or will they serve exquisite soup in it.

• Green and white tea is drunk in fine china bowls. They are open, therefore drinking from such bowls is typical for the summer period, since these types of teas are drunk chilled to quench their thirst. Warm tea in this kind of porcelain will cool quickly.
• If you want to drink hot tea in cold weather, then ceramic bowls with thickened or double walls are ideal for this, since the heat will be retained much longer, which means that the tea will stay hot. In this case, the ceramics will not burn your hands too much, but, on the contrary, will warm you.
• Glazed cups are used for teas such as Gaudan Oolong. This tea contains essential oils. Thanks to the glazing of the bowl, essential oils do not disappear immediately, but gradually open up.
• For authentic Japanese tea drinking of matcha tea, it is worth choosing large bowls, which are called "chawan". The large volume of the bowl is necessary so that the matcha powder can be whisked right in the bowl and then poured over with boiling water.
• Medium bowls are usually used to serve the soup. Most often, the material for making such bowls is ceramics, since it is not as fragile as porcelain. These bowls already have small handles that make it easier to carry when serving.
• For sauce or jam, glass bowls are preferable - they are organic and laconic, suitable for any table, without distracting attention. Most often, small bowls are chosen for sauces. When setting the table, it is customary to use the principle: one bowl - one person.
• Wooden bowls are today's eco-style. Of course, wooden bowls have been used for a long time, but they have become truly popular only now. These include coconut bowls. These bowls are lightweight and practical, without much design or patterns.

Each country has its own foundations and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, from parents to children. It is not surprising that many tourists, coming to this or that country, try to find a unique restaurant with local cuisine in order not only to taste the local food, but also to enjoy the serving. In Kazakh, Tajik and Uzbek cuisine, food is most often served in open bowls with wide edges, without a lid, so that the aroma is everywhere. Spices are a special ingredient.

Japan - the Land of the Rising Sun - prefers ceramic products of various sizes. Most often, in addition to soup, rice is always served in bowls, which is then wrapped in nori sheets or simply consumed without anything. China is famous for its porcelain. The museums exhibit whole compositions from the royal sets. The variety of such products is quite large, and each tea has its own type (with flat or flat walls, rounded). For soup, dishes with thickened walls are used.

All the dishes are united by a drawing - a motive of Chinese culture and religion, made with the help of various ornaments or inscriptions. Chinese bowls are restrained, but at the same time they can be made in any color.The most common colors are red, black, white and blue.

Clay and glass bowls do not belong to a specific country, which would be the first to actively use these materials. Often people make their own clay cups, for example, in a modeling course. Stores provide us with glass bowls.

Chinese tea bowls are the most popular among oriental culture. Their convenience has been noted by many connoisseurs of not only China itself, but also those who are just getting to know this culture. The main point that is paid attention to when choosing vat pairs is their volume. The teapot should have just enough water to fill one pair of bowls. This means that the kettle must hold approximately 50 ml of liquid. Much will also depend on the bowls themselves - they may be larger in volume.

Large gift sets are now available that include a teapot and two pairs of bowls. There are other sets where the number of pairs is higher. In addition to aesthetic points, when buying, you should pay attention to the fact that the bowl is easy to take, does not slip out of your hands, is not very rough, and the surface does not have jags.

Watch a video on the topic.