The history of green tea powder or matcha goes back to China’s Tang Dynasty, which reigned during the 7th-10th centuries. Tea leaves were steamed and formed into bricks, making harvests easier to carry and sell. Leaves were roasted and pounded, and then the resulting powder was mixed with water and salt to make these bricks. The succeeding Song Dynasty, which reigned during the 10th-13th centuries, was responsible for popularising this type of tea. A Japanese Buddhist Monk named Eisai returned to Japan from China in 1191. He brought tea seeds and the Zen Buddhist ways of preparing powdered green tea with him. The leaves that emerged from these tea seeds from China were deemed to be of the highest quality in Japan. The seeds were planted within temple grounds in Kyoto and matcha was produced only in very small quantities, making it a luxury. This recipe uses green tea powder, which is far more common today, along with eggs and butter.
