Some countries add butter to tea

Even those many people prefer their tea served with sugar or milk to balance out the bitter taste, the idea of adding butter to tea is not so popular. However, in some parts of the world, people use tea, butter, and some other ingredients to make a delicious drink called "butter tea". Butter tea likely originated in the Himalayan region between Greater Tibet and the Indian subcontinent. It is traditionally made from tea leaves, yak butter, water, and salt. Especially, Butter Tea is a traditional Tibetan drink with a practical purpose.

The history of tea in Tibet dates back to the 7th century during the Tang dynasty. However, butter tea did not become popular in Tibet until about the 13th century, the time of the Phagmodrupa dynasty. According to legend, a Chinese princess married a king of Tibet which later helped establish trade routes between China and Tibet. These trade routes brought tea to Tibet from China. Later, butter was added to the tea that was brought from China as butter was a staple in Tibetan cuisine.

Butter Tea is a necessity in Tibet's climate, where the air is brutally thin and cold. A warm cup of butter tea will keep Tibetan warm when they’re outside and gives them energy, fat, and calories. Specifically, yak butter is added to the tea as the salt in it helps drinkers stay hydrated. But contrary to popular belief, not all Tibetans drink butter tea on a daily basis, lots of families only serve butter tea when they have guests over since Yak butter is expensive and especially difficult to obtain in the winter.