From Kut Teh to Bak Kut Teh ● Did Meat Bone Tea Came from Bone Tea? 藥茶

The origin and meaning of the teh in the popular bak kut teh (meat bone tea) dish is still a riddle today. No one is sure how the teh in bak kut teh came about or even what it really means.

It is clearly a thng (soup) then why is it called a teh (tea)? 明明是汤为什么叫茶?

Some say bak kut teh refers to it being a herbal medicinal tonic as in 藥茶 or medicinal tea.

上海市卫生健康委员会:

"药茶疗法是指用茶叶配伍适当中药或某些食物 (也有不用茶叶，纯用某些中药加工制成茶剂) 用以养生保健, 防治疾病的一种方法."

According to Shanghai Municipal Health Commission:

"Herbal tea therapy refers to mixing tea leaves with appropriate Chinese medicines or certain foods (sometimes without tea leaves, some Chinese medicines are processed into herbal tea) for health care and disease prevention."

Other Theories

In Malaysia, it is said to be named after Lee Boon Teh who started selling bak kut teh in Klang in the 1940s. The "teh" in bak kut teh came from the name Lee Boon Teh, according to this theory.

The third possibility is the teh in bak kut teh refers to tea 茶 (teh in Hokkien and Teochew) as eating bak kut teh and Chinese tea drinking culture is ~~closely~~ inextricably coupled.

The 藥茶 "Yeok Teh" Theory

The "yeok teh 藥茶" or herbal medicine tea theory may sound counterintuitive as concoctions of meat, bone, and medicinal herbs are not called teh or tea but referred to as soups 湯, nourishing soup or fortifying soups.

A theory.

Could it be that bak kut teh was not the original name of the concoction but it was originally kut teh 骨茶? Meaning, the original concoction was made with bones (no or almost no meat), herbs, spices, and soy sauce. So, the concoction would be a bone and herb tonic to be drank (as there was no meat) and not the meaty gourmet dish we know today at all.

It's All About The Bone Marrow

The bones are in the concoction for the medicinal benefits of bone marrow which in traditional Chinese medicine is believed to improve blood circulation and strengthen the immune system.

This theory is consistent with the oral tradition that bak kut teh started as "coolie's tea". After Raffles opened the port of Singapore for business in 1819, many poor peasants and labourers came to Singapore from China's Guangdong and Fujian provinces to work as coolies (indentured labourers).

The coolie's life was terribly hard. Homesick, sleeping at least 20 to a room, hungry, toiling under heavy loads under the blazing sun in stifling tropical humidity for meagre wages. Many also suffered the aftereffects of opium addiction.

According to oral tradition, bak kut teh was a cheap tonic make with bones, herbs, spice and soy sauce to alleviate the pains of coolie life.

If there was no meat but mainly bones and herbs, might the concoction not be called kut teh 骨茶 or bone tea?

Nourishing soups and fortifying soups are not new in traditional Chinese medicine. The innovation in kut teh is the use of bones instead of quality cuts of meat to make a nourishing soup / fortifying soup.

It was forced by necessity. Bones were something the poor coolies could afford. These were paired with inexpensive herbs such as dang gui for blood circulation, liquorice for stamina, etc. To make the meatless medicinal concoction palatable, spices and soy sauce were added.

As Singapore prospered, lives of coolies improved. Bones were slowly replaced by ribs and other meaty cuts of pork. Gradually the bone tonic or kut teh became known as bak kut teh 肉骨茶 or meat bone tea to reflect the switch from bone to meaty cuts like ribs.