Maghrebi mint tea

Mint Tea
Alternative namesAtay, Atay b'naanaa, Shay-b'naanaa.
Region or stateNorth Africa
Associated cuisine
Serving temperatureHot
Tunisian mint tea served with nuts

Maghrebi mint tea (Maghrebi Arabic: أتاي, atay;[1] Arabic: الشاي بالنعناع, romanized: aš-šhāy bin-na'nā'[2]), also known as Moroccan mint tea[3][4] and Algerian mint tea,[5][6][7] is a North African preparation of gunpowder green tea with spearmint leaves and sugar.

It is traditional to the Greater Maghreb region (the northwest African countries of Morocco, Algeria,[8][9][10] Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania). Its consumption has spread throughout North Africa, parts of the Sahel, France, Spain, the Arab world, and Middle East.

Mint tea is central to social life in the Maghreb.[11] and is very popular among the Tuareg people of Algeria, Libya, Niger and Mali.[12] The serving can take a ceremonial form, especially when prepared for a guest. The tea is traditionally made by the head male in the family and offered to guests as a sign of hospitality. Typically, at least three glasses of tea are served.[13] The tea is consumed throughout the day as a social activity.[11][14][15] The native spearmint naʿnāʿ (نعناع) possesses a clear, pungent, mild aroma, and is the mint that is traditionally used in Maghrebi mint tea. Other hybrids and cultivars of spearmint, including yerba buena, are occasionally used as substitutes for nana mint. In Morocco, mint tea is sometimes perfumed with herbs, flowers, or orange blossom water. In the cold season, they add many warming herbs like pennyroyal mint and wormwood.[11] Mint has been used as an infusion, decoction, and herbal medicine throughout the Mediterranean since antiquity. This aromatic plant was widely used in Algeria to cure and prevent cholera when it plagued the country from 1835 until 1865.[16][17]

  1. ^ Cornwell, Graham Hough (2018). Sweetening the Pot: A History of Tea and Sugar in Morocco, 1850-1960 (PhD thesis). Georgetown University. hdl:10822/1051972.
  2. ^ هي, مجلة (2020-02-24). "ما هي فوائد الشاي المغربي". مجلة هي (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  3. ^ Deubel, Tara F.; Youngstedt, Scott M.; Tissières, Hélène (2016-10-22). Saharan Crossroads: Exploring Historical, Cultural, and Artistic Linkages. p. 185.
  4. ^ "The Art of Moroccan Mint Tea and How to Brew It". Organic Authority. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  5. ^ Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011.
  6. ^ Ethnic American Food Today: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015.
  7. ^ Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. World Food: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture and Social Influence from Hunter Gatherers to the Age of Globalization. Taylor & Francis, 2012.
  8. ^ Bouayed, Fatima-Zohra (1970). "La cuisine algérienne". www.abebooks.com. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  9. ^ Finn, Rachel (2007-05-01). "Gâteaux Algériens: A Love Affair". Gastronomica. 7 (2): 78–82. doi:10.1525/gfc.2007.7.2.78. ISSN 1529-3262.
  10. ^ BENAYOUN, JOËLLE ALLOUCHE (1983). "Les pratiques culinaires: lieux de mémoire, facteur d'identité". La Rassegna Mensile di Israel. 49 (9/12): 629. ISSN 0033-9792. JSTOR 41285309.
  11. ^ a b c "Tea in Morocco: 'It's in the blood'". 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  12. ^ Bernus, Edmond (1978). "Les Touaregs: Pasteurs et guerriers des sables" (PDF). Berger-Levrault S.A.
  13. ^ "Authentic Moroccan Mint Tea Recipe (from my Mother Cookbook)". Moroccan Zest. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  14. ^ Richardson, James (1860). Travels in Morocco. Charles J. Skeet.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wharton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ 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)
  17. ^ Cayol, Jean-Bruno (1832). Instruction pratique sur le régime et le traitement du choléra-morbus épidémique au printemps de 1832 (in French). Gabon.