Cooling Remedy · Herbal Tea
Wong Lo Kat (王老吉) Herbal Tea
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Dezzawong / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
It started in 1828 as a doctor's medicinal brew for 'internal heat' — nearly 200 years later it's one of the best-selling canned drinks in China.
Wong Lo Kat is a dark, slightly bitter herbal tea made from chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, and licorice, sold hot from clay urns at liangcha (herbal tea) shops on nearly every Guangdong street corner. It's also sold canned and bottled, but locals swear the fresh-brewed version is the real deal.
Why it's made this way: Guangdong's humid climate gave rise to an entire liangcha culture built around 'cooling' herbal remedies, and Wong Lo Kat, invented in Heshan, is its most famous export.
More from China
Roujiamo (Braised Pork in Flatbread)
Chuan'r (Grilled Meat Skewers)
Youtiao (Fried Dough Stick)
Tanghulu (Candied Hawthorn Skewers)
Malatang (Self-Serve Spicy Broth)
Beibingyang (北冰洋) Orange Soda
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.