下午茶的来历：

　　In 1662, King Charles II of England married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza who brought with her, as part of her dowry, a small chest of tea. As the new queen, Catherine began the serving of tea to her friends at court.

　　1662年，英格兰国王查理二世迎娶了葡萄牙布拉干萨王朝的凯瑟琳公主。公主随嫁妆带来了一小箱茶叶。当上了皇后的凯瑟琳开始在宫廷中以茶待客。

　　Although there is mention of "five o'clock tea" in France in the 17th century, the credit for the invention of "Afternoon Tea" is given to Anna Russell, duchess of Bedford who, during the long gap between an early breakfast and very late dinner, experienced what she called "a sinking feeling" at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. She asked her maid to bring her a pot of tea, a little bread and butter and cake in her room. She found this arrangement so agreeeable that she began asking her friends to join her.

　　尽管在17世纪的法国就有“五时茶”的说法，但“下午茶”的发明还是要归功于贝德福德公爵夫人安娜•拉塞尔。从一大早的早餐到很晚才进的晚餐之间有很长一段时间，而公爵夫人常常在下午四五点钟左右会有“一种虚脱感”。她命女仆送一壶茶、一点儿黄油面包和蛋糕到她房间里去。她发现这一餐吃得很惬意，于是开始邀请她的朋友们一起来享用。

什么是下午茶？

　　High tea, a term often confused with afternoon tea, usually takes the place of supper. During the Industrial Revolution, working class families would return home tired and exhausted. The table would be set with dinner foods like meat, bread, butter, potatoes, cheese and of course tea. It was termed "high tea" because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table.

　　人们常常会把“茶点”和“下午茶”搞混，其实茶点通常相当于晚餐。在工业革命时期，工人阶级的家庭成员回到家时都筋疲力尽。晚餐桌上的食物通常是肉、面包、黄油、土豆、奶酪，当然也少不了茶。它之所以被称为"high tea"，是因为这顿饭是在一张高餐桌而不是矮茶桌上吃的。

　　Afternoon tea (because it was usually taken in the late afternoon) is also called "low tea" as it is served at a low table. Since this wasn't a meal, but rather like a late afternoon snack meant to stave off hunger, finger foods were the common fare. Tiny, dainty sandwiches, scones and pastries were served with afternoon tea. Finger foods afforded one the opportunity to take a petite bite and easily maintain a conversation. This is most important, as one is not merely taking tea to gain nourishment or satisfy hunger, but to take time to relax, converse and enjoy the company of dear friends. In England, the traditional time for tea was four o'clock or five o'clock in the afternoon and no one stayed after seven o'clock.

　　下午茶(因为它通常是在傍晚时享用)，又称"low tea"，这样叫是因为它是放在一张矮桌上享用的。由于这不是一顿饭，而更像是一顿傍晚时分为避免饥饿而食用的小吃，因此摆放的食物通常都是可以用手拿着吃的。美味的小块三明治、烤饼和酥皮糕点通常都是享用下午茶时的小吃。这些便于手拿的食物可以让人们一边小口品尝一边还能轻松地进行交谈——这是最为重要的一点——因为人们不只是为了补充营养或充饥而喝茶，而是要借此机会放松自己，聊聊天和享受好友陪伴的乐趣。在英国，传统的喝茶时间是在下午四五点钟，而且下午茶都会在七点以前结束。