What is tea towel called in America? When you first saw this question, were you as puzzled as I was? What is this question? Isn’t tea towel just tea towel? That’s what I thought at first, but when I looked more closely, it turned out to be a serious question.
To answer this question, we need to start with the history of the tea towel. In 18th century England, a tea towel was a special linen drying cloth used by the mistress of the house to dry her precious and expensive china tea things. Servants were considered too ham-fisted to be trusted with such a delicate job, although housemaids were charged with hand-hemming the woven linen when their main duties were completed. Tea towels have been mass-produced since the Industrial Revolution.
So the tea towel originated in the United Kingdom. With the expansion of British overseas trade, it has been brought to the world, especially in the United States and Australia, which have the closest relationship with the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth. The names of tea towels in different regions have also changed with the development of history and culture.
So the tea towel originated in the United Kingdom. With the expansion of British overseas trade, it has been brought to the world, especially in the United States and Australia, which have the closest relationship with the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth. The names of tea towels in different regions have also changed with the development of history and culture.
Let’s start with Weber’s definition of “tea towel”: a cloth for drying dishes. Synonyms for “tea towel” provided by relatedwords.org include dishtowel, cloth, towel, dish towel, etc. Based on the above information, let’s discuss “What is tea towel called in America?”
Look at how an American netizen answered this question: Tea towels are all British things for Americans. So it is reasonable for Americans not to use this word because Americans have dishwashers, hahaha.
Back to the topic, tea towel is commonly called in the United States as follows:
1. Tea towel
Like the tea towel, as the British call it, they are usually printed with designs such as commemorative pictures, ornate patterns, or occasionally embroidered embellishments, 100% cotton.
You will find them in some area gift shops, which are very collectible. People tend to pass it down from generation to generation until it disintegrates.
2. Kitchen towel
Kitchen towels are multi-purpose towels for drying hands in an emergency, counter drying, and absorbing food or drink spills. Usually thicker than a dish towel and traditionally made from terry cloth. These are more functional and usually not as decorative as the tea towel.
3. Dish towels
Means a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping. Dish towel is always kept clean, free from food or hand contamination, and is only used to dry clean dishes after washing.
4. Hand towel
Hand towel is a towel used to wipe your hands in the kitchen. Made of terry cloth, the texture is fluffy and mostly plain.
The United States is a super large country with very diverse cultures. California, Texas, New York, Boston, Arizona, Montana, etc., have their characteristics. The above are some of the more common ways of calling tea towel in the United States. They are also named in different regions, Paper towel, Dish rag, Scrubbing pad, drying-up cloth, kitchen paper, Bridget brush, Dishcloth, etc.
