Moorish tea or tea with peppermint

Tea with mint, called by French-speakers "thé à la menthe" is the quintessential drink in Morocco, although it is widespread throughout the Maghreb. It is consumed throughout the day and is the hot drink that is usually offered to the guest as a sign of hospitality. Among its benefits are its digestive, toning and diuretic virtues.

Its Arabic name is شاي بالنعناع (shāy bi l-na`anā`), although in the Moroccan dialect Arabic the voice of Berber origin is normally used أتاي (atay). It is an infusion of gunpowder-type green tea leaves (known as gunpowder, because its dried leaves are in the form of small balls, which unfold after contact with hot water) with peppermint leaves and quite sweet. .

The normal thing is to prepare it in one of those beautiful metallic Moroccan teapots, and serve it in decorated glass cups, but you can do it in whatever you have at home (preferably metal). Shall we teach you how to prepare it?

Moorish tea or tea with peppermint

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Tea with mint, called by French-speakers "thé à la menthe" is the quintessential drink in Morocco, although it is widespread throughout the Maghreb.

• Ángela

• Kitchen: cuisine
• Recipe type: drinks
• Rations: 4

• Total time:

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of green tea leaves (no sachets)
• 1 good bunch of peppermint (stems and everything) well washed
• 4-5 heaping tablespoons sugar
• Boiling water to cover the kettle
• a few drops of orange blossom water (optional)

Preparation

1. Some people scald the inside of the kettle with boiling water to remove any metallic taste, but only if you are using it for the first time.

2. Add the tea. Purists say it's one teaspoon per person and one more "for the kettle" (one and a half tablespoons per kettle melts me to perfection).

3. Add boiling water (not hot, boiling). Wait a few seconds, no more than a minute, and throw away the water: in this way the tea is "washed", removing the bitter taste (there are those who omit this step, myself among them ...).

4. Sometimes the kettle is put on the fire to bring it to a boil. The tea is then stronger and bitter (neither do I).

5. We let it infuse 2 minutes by the clock.

6. The mixture is not stirred with a spoon, but by pouring the tea into a glass and pouring it back into the kettle, several times until it is mixed. Then the ingredients are tested and rectified (usually sugar, so it is better to start with 4 tablespoons and add).

7. It is served by pouring it from a certain height, so that the glass has a slight crown of foam. The tea is thus oxygenated, and its flavor is enhanced. It is taken very hot.

8. In some places orange blossom flowers or essence of orange blossom are added, even pine nuts.

An alternative way to prepare it is not to put the peppermint in the kettle but in the glass, and then add the tea. In this case the glasses used are larger, they are cane glasses.

The taste and appearance of the tea change as it is served. The first glasses are sweeter and in the last glasses the sugar that has remained in the bottom of the kettle is less appreciated and the tea has fermented more. If you want to avoid this, strain into another kettle after the infusion time has elapsed. Accompany with arabic cupcakes.

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