Tea and Arab culture

Tea and Arab culture

Whenever we talk about tea , we have to refer to Arab culture since both are totally related. For Arab culture , tea forms an important part of it, being consumed in numerous countries, although mainly in Morocco and the Maghreb. Morocco has become one of the largest tea importers in the world.

There is a well-known expression that says: “Bitter as life, strong as love, sweet as death” and so it is, this is the best definition of the fascinating mix of flavors that one experiences when tasting the famous Moorish tea .

Tea and Arab culture may seem to have been linked for thousands of years, but this is not the case, although it may not seem like it, the origin of tea in Moroccan culture is more recent.

Tea arrived in Morocco specifically in the 19th century, thanks to the British, who were looking for new markets to introduce it. The origin of this tea was from the crops of the English colonies that they had in India.

The surprise was that this British tea was very well received by the Arab culture , which quickly adapted it to their traditions, including their typical mint infusions, thus giving them their own touch.

In Morocco, the tea culture stands out for the way and tradition when it comes to serving it, generally with food. Tea is considered a drink of hospitality and courtesy that is served whenever a guest comes home, it is like a sign of friendship, hospitality... it is a lack of manners for them that guests reject it.

This tradition has spread to parts of southern Spain, northern Africa and areas of the Sahel.

How and when do they prepare the tea?

The custom is for tea to be made by men, with the usual thing being the head of the family.

They usually consume tea at all hours, no matter what time of day it is, although it is true that it is generally before and after meals.

As for the preparation of tea , it depends a lot on the area and even, in Morocco, each Moroccan does it in their own way, so there is no standard way of how to prepare it, although we do know the basics of how to do it and we We are going to explain it.

In Morocco, the way they usually prepare tea is this way, they use green tea of ​​the Gunpowder and Chu mee varieties , mix it with their usual infusions such as peppermint, mint, lemon verbena or wormwood and add sugar. This is the base, but let's develop it a little more.

We put the water to boil and in it we introduce the tea (one tablespoon per person and one more directly into the teapot), the mint or peppermint and the sugar, meanwhile, we pour a glass of boiling water into the teapot that we are going to use and wait a few thirty seconds to thus remove the cold and the metal taste. After this, we put the tea in the teapot, but not in just any teapot, it has to be a steel, metal teapot. The typical Arab teapots that are so cute that we have all seen at some point with reliefs, carvings... which keep the heat for a long time and you can find them at Decoration Alcazaba .

Finally, it is tested and it is verified that it has good taste. It should have an intense sweet flavor accompanied by an aroma of spearmint or mint (orange tree buds are also usually added, as long as we are in the right season).

How do they serve tea?

It is essential to have the famous Moroccan tea sets which consist of small, very cute and colorful glass glasses where the tea is served once prepared. If you want to take a look at the Moroccan tea sets, just go to our tea glasses and accessories section.

But… How do they serve tea? When serving it, it must be very hot and it is poured at a certain distance from the glass so that the tea is oxygenated and its flavor is enhanced, thus generating a certain foam.

According to Arab tradition , both the appearance and flavor of the tea change as it is served and the typical thing is to make rounds of tea. The first is only with the tea leaves, so it is very bitter; In the second, a little sugar is added, somewhat improving its flavor, while in the last, more sugar is added and also mint or mint, obtaining the true flavor of a Moorish tea.

With the previous explanation we can now understand the tradition of serving tea 3 times and that, according to them, the first glass is "bitter as life"; the second , "strong as love" and the last "sweet as death . "

With these little tricks and curiosities you can serve a real Moorish tea at home.