미생물 발효차의 역사·지리적 특성 = Research into The History and Regionality of Teas Fermented by Microorganisms

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This thesis concerns a study on the differences among regions and characteristics of various teas fermented by microorganisms. The method of using microorganisms to ferment tea leaves and associated tea culture were spread from the origin of tea trees in the East Asia crescent to the Far East. This spread was naturally led by ecologic and geographic influences and developed into two aspects; the active use and control of microorganisms. The active use of microorganisms starts from the anaerobic fermentation process, which uses lactic acid bacteria. Starting from the East Asia crescent, this process spread to the laurel forest zone, which has the same vegetation. It subsequently passed through South-East Asia and flowed into Japan. The control of microorganisms historically began in the Sichuan province, where tea culture originated from, and thereafter spread within the whole of China. It developed into various methods using enzymes in tea leaves and excluding microorganisms. Eventually, it became divided into six types of teas. This method was introduced into Korea via China. In this process, teas delivered to the border area became a trigger and led to the creation of black tea which was fermented by aerobic fungi. Therefore, the origin of aerobically fermented tea was a result of the control of microorganisms. Thus, teas fermented by microorganisms had locally definite differences and directions and anaerobically fermented tea appeared far earlier than tea fermented by aerobic fungi. Anaerobically fermented tea was used for edible purposes; however, it was not a prerequisite of drinking tea. The spread of anaerobically fermented tea was a matter of ethnicity, culture and custom, depending on the migration of people and other factors.