The countries that got tea via China
through the Silk Road (land) referred to it in various forms of the word
“cha”. On the other hand, the countries that traded with China via sea -
through the Min Tan port called it in different forms of “te”.
I liked this so much I became curious… and it checks out! The explanation lies, unsurprisingly, in who was interacting with whom in early modern long-distance trade.
