Moroccan tea culture

Maghrebi mint tea (Arabic: الشاي‎‎ aš-šāy; Maghrebi Arabic: التاي Atāy;Berber: ⴰⵜⴰⵢ), also known as Moroccan, Touareg and Sahrawi mint tea, is a green tea prepared with spearmint leaves and sugar, traditional to the Greater Maghreb region (the northwest African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania). It has since spread throughout North Africa, parts of the Sahel, France and the Arab world. It is most closely associated with Morocco and in Spanish is known simply as "Moroccan tea", té moruno. A similar drink is prepared in Spain but is typically served chilled as iced tea in the summer, instead of hot year-round. As a combination of imported ingredients (tea from China and originally imported sugar) and a local ingredient (fresh mint), it is an early example of globalization in cuisine.

Mint tea (in Arabic, شاي بالنعناع, shāy bil n'anā', or more commonly, in dialect, التاي, it-tay) is central to social life in the Maghreb. 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, and it is considered impolite to refuse it.

The tea is consumed throughout the day as a social activity, with tea bars filling a similar social function to alcohol drinking establishments in Europe and North America.

The cultivar spearmint (Mentha spicata) Nana, possesses a clear, pungent, mild aroma, and is the mint that is traditionally used in Maghrebi mint tea. Other hybrids and cultivars of Mentha, including Yerba buena, are occasionally used as substitutes for Nana mint.

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