Drinking tea is a major part of each day. Morocco is a country hooked on tea and there is no a set time for drinking it. it is prepared with green tea, fresh mint leaves & sugar.
The serving can take a ceremonial form, especially when prepared for a guest. The tea is traditionally made by the head male in the family and offered to guests as a sign of hospitality. Typically, at least three glasses of tea are served. The tea is consumed throughout the day as a social activity, with tea bars filling a similar social function to coffee drinking establishments in Europe and North America.
In the winter, if mint is rare, sometimes leaves of tree wormwood (chiba or sheeba in Moroccan dialect) are substituted for (or used to complement) the mint, giving the tea a distinctly bitter flavor. Lemon verbena (louiza in Moroccan dialect) is also used to give it a lemon flavor. The tea is some times sold as a ready-to-cook mixture of tea and dried mint, which is easier to store and to prepare but has diminished flavour.
A simple and practical method runs as follows:
In a teapot, combine two teaspoons of tea-leaf with a half litre of boiling water. Allow it to steep for at least 15 minutes.Without stirring, filter the mixture into a stainless steel pot, so that the tea leaves and coarse powder are removed. Add washed fresh mint leaves to the teapot and sugar (per taste). Usually, bring to boil over a low heat (this helps the sugar dissolve) but I personally don’t do it . I just let it sit for a while before I start serving.
Quote:
« The first glass is as bitter as life;
The second glass is as strong as love;
The third glass is as gentle as death. »