Saturday, February 12, 2011

On Tea



Tea is important. Throughout the world it is how people start the day, how they spend time with friends, how they show hospitality to strangers. Morocco is no exception.
The tea culture of Morocco is very well established. While there is coffee, tea is the drink of choice for starting the day. Since alcohol is illegal, tea is the drink of choice for all social events.
Moroccan tea is green tea, often with additional herbs such as mint or thyme, and always with large quantities of sugar. It is served from an ornate teapot and drunken from very small glasses. Because the size of the glass and the color of the tea people often jokingly call it “whisky Moroccan”. It is also possible it has this nickname because Moroccans think foreigners are constantly buzzed because while they drink ten glasses of tea a day, foreigners drink ten glasses of whisky a day.
The tea is always poured from a height, giving it time to cool on its way to the glass and causing small bubbles to form on the surface. Getting this correct takes good aim, practice and a willingness to spill a bit. Oftentimes, the first pour is repeated several times until the color, temperature and bubble quantity are just right.


And THAT is Moroccan Tea!

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