Tea-Drinking Customs of the Ili Uyghurs

Prepared by Uyghur Times, Dec 31, 2025

The Ili Uyghurs are known for being hospitable, warm-hearted, and cheerful, and they have long placed great importance on food and drink. Among these traditions, tea-drinking occupies a particularly important place in their culinary culture. At tea gatherings, tea sittings, weddings, celebrations, and when hosting guests, special attention is paid to the color, taste, aroma, quality, and additional ingredients of tea—giving Ili Uyghur tea culture distinctive characteristics rarely found elsewhere.

The tea-drinking customs of the Ili Uyghurs mainly preserve two distinctive traditions.

The first is boiled tea, also known as milk tea or cream tea. This is the primary tea-drinking tradition that the Ili Uyghurs have maintained for a long time. As a result, descriptive expressions such as “smooth words like fresh cream” and “faces as white as milk” have become common among them. Typically, Ili Uyghurs drink boiled tea for breakfast and lunch, while in the evening they eat solid meals.

The second is infused tea, also called brewed tea or black tea. When guests arrive at a home, infused tea is served first. Various scented teas, as well as teas produced locally or imported from abroad, are commonly used for this type of tea. Traditional healers say: “Drinking infused tea before a meal lightens the burden on the stomach and stimulates the appetite; drinking it after a meal improves digestion, helps food absorption, and prevents weight gain.”

Boiled Tea

Ili Uyghurs prepare boiled tea in the following way: first, black tea (brick tea), milk, cream, and salt are prepared. Then, black tea is broken into small pieces and added to boiling water in a pot (kettle) and boiled over heat for about five minutes. After removing it from the heat, an appropriate amount of salt is added and stirred evenly. Once the tea is fully brewed, cooked milk is poured in. Finally, cooked cream or fresh cream is added and mixed thoroughly. If possible, zhumel—a nourishing food made from flour and lamb fat, similar to clarified butter and usually used as a flavoring for boiled tea—is added, making the tea richer, more palatable, and more nutritious.

The prepared tea is poured into large bowls or smaller cups, depending on the person, and placed on the table. Typically, foods eaten together with boiled tea include honey, rock sugar, eris (Uyghur milk candy), or various preserves and jams. Traditional healers say: “Boiled tea dispels internal heat, nourishes the body, and replenishes physical strength.”

From A Brief Encyclopedia of Uyghur Customs