タイ北部における発酵食用茶「ミアン」の伝播に関する一考察

Abstract

Before the drinking-tea culture was developed, "the fermented/eating tea culture" had been disseminated to the mountainous area in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and China, following the dissemination of shifting cultivation. Subsequently, that tea culture transmitted to Japan, especially to areas where the shifting cultivation was introduced. Main purpose in previous studies had appeared to describe the producing processes and utilization of fermented tea in each region, or to indicate the similarities in those items. Therefore the inter-influence on the productive techniques and on utilization of tea leaves among regions and the detailed disseminating process have remained unclear. Regarding 'miang' - a fermented/eating tea in northern Thailand, previous studies mentioned that the miang culture disseminated to Thailand from Myanmar. While, the author supposes the possibility that the dissemination of miang culture into Thailand had two routes: from Myanmar and from Laos, according to the observations in villages producing fermented tea and those markets near the border between Thailand and Laos. The objective of this report is to cite the examples and supposed dissemination process of fermented tea in northern Thailand by comparing those productive characteristics with those of fermented tea in Laos.