New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- For a beverage that occupies the unofficial status of national drink, there's so little documented about chai. Much of what we know centres around British marketing, the invention of the CTC style of tea production, and the eventual adoption of chai variously as a daily ritual.

But if you traverse the length and breadth of India, chai is displayed in fascinating versatility. We think of chai as an inexpensive source of calories with the addition of milk and sugar, but when you showcase its many avatars, it's a mini lesson in culture, society and geography.

Let's start north, with the noon chai from Kashmir, a pink, salty tea that connects to Central Asian and Tibetan influences. Its characteristic addition is baking...