Prior to afternoon tea, the British ate two daily meals — breakfast and dinner. During the mid-1700s, the middle and upper classes shifted dinner from midday to the evening. Served at a fashionably late hour, dinner was a protracted, feast-like affair.
In 1662, Catherine of Braganza of Portugal married Charles II from England’s House of Stuart. When the newlywed Catherine arrived in Portsmouth, she brought her tea chest and asked for a cup. Soon after, Catherine deigned tea as the official court beverage. Tea was a rare luxury in Catherine’s day for it was scarce, expensive and highly taxed.
Although the famed English East India Company had formally introduced tea in the 1600s, it took Catherine’s royal influence to make it fashionable. She regularly served afternoon tea to the British court, thus making it popular among the wealthier classes. In due course, the custom swept across England and by 1700, tea was available in over 500 London "tea houses".
