April 12, 2007
Seattlest Journal: Morocco
After three days in Morocco, Seattlest has developed an addiction to Mint Tea.
We always thought we liked mint tea--as a child pressured by our caffeine-phobic mother, it was often the only choice--but we had no idea of what other mint teas awaited us in the world.
The tea we had upon our arrival in Marrakech was a revelation. Sweet and strongly flavored with fresh spearmint with just the slightest hint of something else lingering in the background, Moroccan Mint tea is a completely different and highly-evolved animal. And worth investigation.
So this morning we assaulted Atika, the genius who cooks at our all-too-temporary home, with both our inane questions and our rusty study-abroad French. She was immensely understanding. We discovered that although the overwhelming flavor of this tea is of fresh spearmint and the name--thé à la menthe--might lead one to believe that mint is its only ingredient, this is not so. Open the lid of a pot of Moroccan mint tea and you will certainly find it stuffed to the brim with fresh spearmint leaves, but you will also find a healthy amount of sugar and a small dose of Chinese gunpowder green tea, an essential ingredient that lends a balanced and vaguely bitter flavor.
We already have concerns about finding enough fresh mint when we get back to Seattle; we definitely won't find stalls selling enormous bundles of fresh mint for a pittance just outside our door and we have no plans to use those overpriced boxes of herbs for sale at the grocery store. Maybe we'll beg our friends at the Ballard Farmer's market to start growing it in bulk. Or maybe we'll have to sneak some plants into our parents' garden. Regardless, we've got our special glasses, we got Atika's recipe and we are ready to throw out our old peppermlnt tea bags and wholeheartedly embrace our new official mint tea: Mint Tea à la Moroccan.
To brew your own Moroccan Mint tea, fill a teapot for four with one teaspoon or one teabag gunpowder green tea--a tea that frankly looks like droppings and is readily available in the bulk section of PCC and other such places--along with a couple of generous handfuls of fresh spearmint and a few tablespoons of white sugar. Fill the pot with boiling water, and let brew three to four minutes. Enjoy.
Photo by Rachael Coyle
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I still remember this dinner of mint tea and tajine I had in Asilah. And you're right -- it's tough to recapture aux Etats-Unis. People sell "Moroccan mint tea" but it doesn't make Moroccan mint tea.
As a Moroccan-Seattletonian(tm) I can tell you there is really a dearth of good mint in this city. It is sold for ridiculously high prices at places like PCC and Whole Foods ans because it is intended as a garnish you can only buy small packages. The good news is that Seattle's wet weather is perfect for growing mint, I have some sitting in a couple planter's pots on my balcony. It grows so quickly that you can just pick some leaves every time you want to make tea. Also, if you are like me and you like to actually taste the bitterness of the tea add only a half teaspoon of sugar at the most...
Nice article - I'm an American who lives in Morocco and am afraid that when I go back to the states, it'll be hard to recreate.
Just a tip - personally, I boil the water first, then add it to the tea, mint and sugar in a separate pot (then heat that for a couple extra minutes.
Mint is a weed! It's hard to NOT grow it! When my mama's in town, she always swipes some from a neighbors' patch. I confessed to my neighbor once, and she said oh God, take all you want, it's hard to control!