Maghrebi mint tea
Alternative names | Atay, Atay b'naanaa, Shay-b'naanaa. |
---|---|
Region or state | North Africa |
Associated cuisine | |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Maghrebi mint tea (
It is traditional to the
Mint tea is central to social life in the Maghreb.
Name
In Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria, the word for tea is tay, atay or lātāy; while in Tunisia it's et-tey.[18] These diverge from the typical Arabic word for tea, shai (شاي). According to Van Driem, ʾit-tāī originates from the Dutch language thee.[19]
History
Gunpowder tea was introduced into North Africa by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries via Morocco and Algeria.[20]
According to food historian, Helen Saberi, the drinking of green tea infused with mint spread from Morocco to Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and to nomadic tribes of Berbers and Tuareg in the Sahara.[21]
Sugar and tea would arrive from Europe to the port of Essaouira, where Jewish merchants who had started migrating to coastal cities in the 19th century managed their passing through the interior of Morocco.[22] James Richardson recorded a description of a Moroccan tea ceremony in the 1840s, and said that during his travels tea was drunk widely and all day long.[14]
Tea consumption became associated with power and prestige in Morocco, and
Another factor in the spread of atay consumption in Morocco was the comparative scarcity of coffee.[24] Whereas Algerian cities had been introduced to coffee culture under the influence of the Ottomans, Moroccan cities would only be introduced to coffee later.[24] Oral traditions in the Algerian city of Tlemcen distinguish between "Fassi tea drinkers and Tlemceni coffee drinkers".[24]
In the late 19th century,
By the early 20th century, mint tea had become well established in Morocco.[15]
Preparation
The basic ingredients of the tea are green tea, fresh mint leaves, sugar, and boiling water.[11] The proportions of the ingredients and the brewing time can vary widely. Boiling water is used in the Maghreb, rather than the cooler water that is used in East Asia to avoid bitterness. The leaves are left in the pot while the tea is consumed, changing the flavor from one glass to the next. It is poured into glasses from high above to swirl loose tea leaves to the bottom of the glass, whilst gently aerating the tea to improve its flavor.
In the winter, if mint is rare, sometimes leaves of
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Ingredients
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Cleaning the tea
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Adding the mint
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Adding the sugar
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Ready to drink
Culture
Traditionally, the tea is served three times. The amount of time it has been steeping gives each of the glasses of tea a unique flavor, described in this famous Maghrebi proverb:
The first glass is as gentle as life,
the second is as strong as love,
the third is as bitter as death.[11]
In one of Nass El Ghiwane's most popular songs, Es-Siniya (الصينية), the tea tray is used as a metaphor to discuss the hardships of migrating from the countryside to a big city such as Casablanca.[24]
See also
References
- hdl:10822/1051972.
- ^ هي, مجلة (2020-02-24). "ما هي فوائد الشاي المغربي". مجلة هي (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ Deubel, Tara F.; Youngstedt, Scott M.; Tissières, Hélène (2016-10-22). Saharan Crossroads: Exploring Historical, Cultural, and Artistic Linkages. p. 185.
- ^ "The Art of Moroccan Mint Tea and How to Brew It". Organic Authority. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
- ^ Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011.
- ^ Ethnic American Food Today: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015.
- ^ Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. World Food: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture and Social Influence from Hunter Gatherers to the Age of Globalization. Taylor & Francis, 2012.
- ^ Bouayed, Fatima-Zohra (1970). "La cuisine algérienne". www.abebooks.com. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ISSN 1529-3262.
- JSTOR 41285309.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tea in Morocco: 'It's in the blood'". 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
- ^ Bernus, Edmond (1978). "Les Touaregs: Pasteurs et guerriers des sables" (PDF). Berger-Levrault S.A.
- ^ "Authentic Moroccan Mint Tea Recipe (from my Mother Cookbook)". Moroccan Zest. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
- ^ a b Richardson, James (1860). Travels in Morocco. Charles J. Skeet.
- ^ ISBN 1515420566.
- ^ Vincent, Martin Antoine (médecin principal de 2e classe); Collardot, Victor (1867). Le choléra, d'après les neuf épidémies qui ont régné à Alger, depuis 1835 jusqu'en 1865.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Cayol, Jean-Bruno (1832). Instruction pratique sur le régime et le traitement du choléra-morbus épidémique au printemps de 1832 (in French). Gabon.
- ^ ʻArabiyya. Indiana University. 1975. p. 580.
- ^ Van Driem, George (2019). The Tale of Tea: A Comprehensive History of Tea from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day. Brill. p. 460.
- ISBN 978-0-313-37626-9.
- ISBN 978-1-86189-892-0.
- ISBN 978-1-83860-362-5.
- ^ أكلاو, هند. "من الشاي إلى الأتاي.. كيف أبدع المغاربة مشروبهم السحري؟". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-11-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cornwell, Graham Hough (2018). Sweetening the Pot: A History of Tea and Sugar in Morocco, 1850-1960 (thesis thesis). Georgetown University.
- ^ Bazzaz, S. (2002). Challenging power and authority in pre-protectorate morocco: Shaykh muhammad al-kattānī and the tarīqa kattāniyya (Order No. 3051111). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (305526264).
- ^ Artemisia: An Essential Guide from The Herb Society of America (PDF), The Herb Society of America, 2013, archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-05