Afternoon Tea
英式下午茶

Afternoon tea is one of the most quintessential English customs. It is a light meal typically eaten between four p.m. and six p.m. Henry James once said: “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” Luxury afternoon tea is a must when visiting London. Perhaps more than anywhere else, London is synonymous with Afternoon Tea.
英式下午茶通常是人们下午四点到六点享用的便餐，是英国最为精致典雅的风俗之一。美国文豪亨利·詹姆斯曾说过：“下午茶是人生中最难得的惬意时光。”去伦敦旅行一定要品尝一次奢侈的下午茶，它可以算得上是伦敦最典型的代表。

Afternoon tea is believed to have been introduced to England by Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. At that time lunch was taken early and the evening meal was served fashionably late at eight o'clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess would become hungry around four o'clock in the afternoon, so she asked for a tray of tea, bread and butter during the late afternoon. Very soon this pause for tea became a fashionable social event.
英式下午茶据说起源于1840年，由贝德福德公爵夫人安娜在英格兰开创。当时午餐吃得很早，但流行的规矩是要到晚上八点才用晚餐，两餐的间隔时间太久。这位公爵夫人到了下午四点左右便觉得饥肠辘辘，因此会在傍晚叫人上一壶茶、一些面包和一些黄油。很快这种下午茶便成为一种时髦的社交活动。

Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of dainty sandwiches, cakes, pastries, scones served with clotted cream and preserves. Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from silver tea pots into delicate bone china cups. In hotels and tea shops the food is often served on a tiered stand. Traditionally the foods are eaten from bottom to top. The first tier is for sandwiches, the second for scones and the third for cakes and fruit tarts.
传统下午茶包括精致美味的三明治、蛋糕、油酥点心、涂抹凝脂奶油的司康饼和蜜饯。来自印度或锡兰的茶在银质茶壶里泡好后，倒入精致的骨瓷杯中。宾馆和茶餐厅经常使用三层架为客人呈上下午茶。吃的时候通常按照由下往上的顺序：第一层是三明治，第二层是司康饼，第三层则是蛋糕和水果挞。