Salt in tea? U.S. chemist’s recipe brews controversy in U.K.

LONDON — An American chemist caused a stir here on Wednesday with her suggestion that the humble cup of tea could be improved with salt, prompting shocked headlines from British news outlets and an intervention by the U.S. Embassy in London.

Drinking tea in Britain, of course, is almost mandatory — the first thing that most reasonable Brits do when they come home is to fire up the kettle. Making a good cuppa is something that many here believe they do very well, thank you very much.