Everything you wanted to know about Moroccan tea
Moroccan tea, everyone who has ever been to Morocco has drunk it; that very sweet tea in small glasses. It is served everywhere and symbolizes the enormous hospitality of the Moroccans.
But…. How do you make that tea? And where do the customs surrounding tea come from? We will tell you about that below.
How to make real Moroccan tea
First of all; how do you make real Moroccan tea?
To get started; you need the tea. You can buy it in our fair trade webshop HelpLocalwithLove
Then make the tea; Follow these steps:
- boil water in a kettle. In Morocco, the teapot itself can be powered by gas.
- Add the tea. The amount of tea to add depends on the size of the teapot; for a large teapot use 2 large spoons of tea
- Add sugar if necessary
- Put the teapot on the stove until the water boils again.
- If you want strong tea, you should boil the tea for more than 15 minutes
- if you want you can add herbs such as mint or absinthe
- Pour a few times into a tea glass or cup and then back into the pot. This gives the tea oxygen
And enjoy
The herbs used in Moroccan tea vary; Moroccan mint tea is of course very famous. But – for example in winter – other herbs are also used in Moroccan tea. Such as sage and absinthe. Although the spices vary; the result remains the same; delicious Moroccan tea.
When drinking tea; wait until the person who made the tea starts drinking it. Then the rest can follow.
Furthermore, it is not polite to stir your glass with a spoon. What is common in Morocco is to put the sugar (if it has not already been added) in a glass and put some tea in it. Then pour until the tea and sugar are well mixed.
Fun fact: the tea is also called ‘Berber whiskey’.
Why is Moroccan tea so sweet?
Moroccan tea is also known for its taste; it is very sweet. Although nowadays a healthy lifestyle is increasingly taken into account and you are occasionally asked whether you are looking forward to it; normally Moroccan tea is served with a lot of sugar.
And there is a reason for that: sugar was very expensive. So to show your hospitality, you served tea with lots of sugar to your guests. A way to show how welcome your guest was.
Sometimes you also see ‘sugar loaves’ in Morocco. Large cones of sugar, from which the sugar is beaten (possibly with a small hammer). That’s something different than a modest sugar cube!
The art of pouring tea
Moreover, pouring the tea is also quite an art, because; tea is poured as high as possible.
Just pouring the tea into a cup is not enough. The idea is to lift the teapot high and from there pour the tea into the glass. And this also has a nice symbolic reason. A host wanted to show how powerful he was. Pouring the tea high was a symbol of the host’s power.
In short; drinking tea is an important part of Moroccan life. Rest assured; During our holiday trips, you will be extensively invited to drink delicious Moroccan tea.
Thanks a lot for explaining this ..