The three most popular drinks in Morocco are mint tea, fresh juice, and strong coffee. Here’s a guide to making these specialties without having to fly across the Atlantic:
The Infamous Moroccan Mint Tea
- Green Gunpowder Tea
- Sugar
- Mint
- Boil eight cups of water.
- Put two heaping spoonfuls of green gunpowder tea into a teapot, preferably a metal Moroccan one. Add a small portion of the boiling water and swirl it with the tea. Then, pour that out into the sink. This helps reduce the bitterness of the tea.
- Pour the rest of the boiling water into the teapot.
- If you have large sugar cubes, add two now. If not, add eight tablespoons of sugar (or more or less—whatever you want!).
- Put the teapot back onto the stove and bring it back to a boil.
- Then, remove the teapot from the heat and pour it into a cup. Pour the cup back into the teapot. Repeat three or four times to ensure that the sugar is fully dissolved.
- You can add the fresh mint leaves to the teapot now or just to individual cups.
- When pouring the tea into a cup to drink, pour from high above the cup to ensure that the tea is aerated and has lots of bubbles on top.
- Drink with a side of melawi or some cookies!
Sweet Summertime Juice
- 4 peaches
- 3 oranges
- 2 cups of strawberries
- Lemon
- Peel four peaches and remove the pits. Add to the blender.
- Remove the rind from three oranges and chop before adding to the blender.
- Cut off the stems from about two cups of strawberries and add the blender.
- Start the blender. Midway through mixing squeeze in a bit of lemon. Feel free to add water if the mixture is too thick.
- Enjoy!
Coffee Qawia (Strong)
- Espresso Beans (darker and shinier than ordinary beans) or ground espresso
- Milk
- Sugar
- Grind up your espresso beans, or just open your bag of ground espresso.
- Add water to the bottom section.
- Add one spoonful of espresso for every cup of water to the filter section.
- Screw the pieces together and place on the stove until almost boiling.
- Remove from heat.
- Warm milk in a saucepan.
- Pour a shot of espresso into a cup, add sugar if you wish, and pour in the warm milk.
- Try not to be conquered by this strong coffee!