Shimane Botebotecha
Preparing whisked sencha green tea was common in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and botebotecha arose from that custom. From Shimane Prefecture, botebotecha, a type of tea served with dollops of garnish, derives its name from the sound of tea being whisked. Botebotecha is made by boiling bancha (a variety of sencha) with dried tea flowers that produce the tea’s unusual foamy texture. Poured into a large tea bowl, the tea is whipped vigorously with a special long tea whisk edged with a bit of salt until it turns white and frothy. Next, very small portions of boiled beans, chopped Japanese pickles, and rice or okowa sticky rice are added to the bowl. Rather than using chopsticks, the bowl is tapped to bring the garnishes to one side to drink together with the tea.
