Make mine a Moroccan minty! Mint tea is so popular in Morocco that you’ll find it everywhere—in homes, restaurants, bazaars, religious gatherings, parties, weddings and funerals. An ancient Moroccan proverb says, “The first glass is as bitter as life, the second glass is as strong as love, the third glass is as gentle as death.” Although Moroccan mint tea is traditionally served three times a day it’s not uncommon for Moroccans to drink it more often. Tea was first introduced to Morocco in the 18th century. (Though rumor has it that European envoys would bribe Morocco’s notoriously fearsome ruler, Sultan Moulay Ismail, with tea in the late 17th century so that he would release European captives.) However, it was only when trade began booming between Europe and the Maghreb (an area of Northwest Africa that includes Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritiana and Tunisia) that the taste for tea really took off. Today, Moroccans make quite a ceremony of mint tea drinking. You can even check one out at a traditional tea ceremony at the Valley of the Roses in Morocco. Tea is prepared in a Moroccan-style teapot with a long, thin spout for easy pouring from a great height to make it bubble perfectly on top. Just the way that Moroccans prefer. And tea is typically served by the head of the household (which in Morocco is usually a man) on a three-legged tray that holds boxes of green tea, mint and sugar. Though the sugar isn’t always for sweetening the tea but rather for nibbling on. Oh, a quick word of advice… If you’re offered a cup of tea in Morocco don’t turn it down or you’ll risk offending your gracious host!