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Welsh tea: a treasure preserved in Chubut See map

One of the most attractive Welsh traditions that you can enjoy in Esquel and Trevelin is the tea ceremony.

Specially prepared in homes that are devoted to it, tea is part of an itinerary bound for visitors to the area. The same goes for those who travel the lower valley of Chubut river, where there are the localities of Gaiman and Dolavon.

During their early years in Chubut, the Welsh colony lived times of extreme difficulties. The desert gives them little water for long periods and the rainy season caused flooding in the mountains. Only solidarity and good relations established with the tehuelches tribes that inhabited the region allowed them to survive that nucleus of pioneers.

But even in the worst times, there was always a cup of tea and a slice of homemade bread. In fact, the first words that the Tehuelches learned from their language (and long before that they were imposed Castilian) were "te" and "bara" ("tea" and "pan" in Welsh).

The relationship of the Welsh with tehuelches marks one of the few examples of coexistence between people of different cultures and without submitting to one another.

Around the tea ceremony took place the social activity of the Welsh community. Converted to farmers, families had an opportunity to meet only when summoned to the church service in one of the chapels.

That was the opportunity to discuss also the problems that have arisen in the community and possible solutions to disputes between neighbors. In the absence of justice institutions, the Welsh had in their pastors and elders some severe referees, and in their ability and habit of exercising a floor discussion of community participation on issues of interest.

Completion of the church service, families gathered in the hall adjoining the chapel, called "vestry". They shared the cakes, breads, pies and homemade cakes prepared by each and they drank tea as they chatted about the latest developments in matters of births, deaths, engagements and weddings.

In that time, current generations of Welsh in Chubut inherited the best traditions: the tea, that complemented with exquisite tarts, is offered today as an attraction for visitors, and the traditional black cake that deserves a separate chapter.