Historical beginning of kombucha?

[mbanu]

Anyone have any pointers for discovering more on the history of kombucha?

The internet so far has been less than helpful, either pointing to Japan (this is a mistake based on the fact that Japan has its own kelp tea named kombucha), or to a mythical past in North East Asia going back thousands of years (despite the fact that black tea was not invented until the 1600s). I suppose kombucha could have originally been made with green tea, but that's not the way I typically encounter it.

I've also heard that the drink originated in Russia in the 1800s (teakvas), which sounds a bit more plausible, but am at a loss for where to go from there.

Any help?

Edited December 24, 2010 by mbanu (log)