Mmorocco

Moroccan Culture: Tea the national drink

Ah, the joy of drinking hot mint tea. This is something we have frequently for the two of us or when we have company. Making tea in Morocco is a ceremony in itself. There is a long process that Moroccan's go through to get the tea to taste just right. The amount of sugar used is astronomical.

The flavour of the tea combines so well with the warm Moroccan interiors.

More inspirations in Taschen’s book.

And finally an amazing compilation by Nikhilesh Haval

With the hot weather we are having here in Singapore recently I thought of the good old Moroccan mint tea, which is very cooling. It is not a drink. It is a sign of hospitality and friendship and tradition. Because this drink is so popular, it is served all day long, after every meal and with every conversation. Moroccans take great pride in their tea and will often ask a visitor who among their group of friends makes the best cup of mint tea.
All you need to prepare the delightful drink is green tea, fresh mint leaves, lots of sugar. The secret is in the preparations. Combine the mint and green tea and sugar in the teapot, then fill it with hot water. Let it brew for 3 minutes. Set up small slender glasses. Fill just one glass with tea, then pour it back in the pot. Repeat. This helps dissolve the sugar. Pour the tea from far above to get a nice foam. Garnish with mint.

Tea drinking is always a relaxed, communal experience. No one ever drinks tea on the run. Did you know that if someone only drinks one cup of tea it is considered rude? Being polite means drinking at least three glasses after a meal, even if you are full. They say that tea helps to settle the stomach.

One of my nephews, who is about five, when coming for a visit would look for my husband. When he found him he would say, Aziz, I need tea...please make tea.

morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco

Moroccan Culture

Moroccan culture is a unique blend of influences from various eras within Morocco's history, globalization, ethnic differences, and wide discrepancies in the living conditions of people within Morocco. The following is a basic reader put together to understand Moroccan culture, which to be said, changes decidedly based on region, language and socio-economic status with in Morocco.

Moroccan Culture 101

Culture Shock! Morocco by Orin Hargraves (available on Amazon). This book is a basic overview of Moroccan culture at a very practical level. It relates more to traditional Moroccan customs than modern youth culture.
A Deeper Look

Humor and Moroccan Culture by Matthew Helmke (available on Amazon). This book started as the author tried to learn Moroccan Arabic. When he didn't understand a joke during one of his language sessions, although he knew all the vocabulary, it sent him on a quest to understand Moroccan life and thought more. This book is the fruit of that journey.
We Share Walls: Language, Land, and Gender in Berber Morocco by Katherine E. Hoffman (available on Amazon). An examination of Berber men and women's use of language to shape their belonging in Moroccan society.

Moroccan Folktales by Jilali El Koudia (available on Amazon). A collection of narratives from various regions within in Morocco and includes an introduction to Arab folktales, and a bibliography of Moroccan folktale collections.
Lords of the Atlas: The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua by Gavin Maxwell. This narrative recounts the customs and rituals of daily life in pre-independence Morocco while recounting the story of El Hadj T'hani El Glaoui, the tribal warlord who helped the French rule Morocco.
Traditional Moroccan Cooking: Recipes from Fez by Guinaudeau, Laurent, and Harris. A collection of traditional recipes from Fez, Morocco.
Year of the Elephant: A Moroccan Journey Toward Independence by Leila Abouzeid. This was the first novel by a Moroccan woman translated into English and recounts the narrative of a woman who is divorced by her modernizing husband. It contrasts the struggles between modern and traditional values in Morocco.
In and Out of Morocco: Smuggling and Migration in a Frontier Boomtown by David Arthur McMurray. This book examines smuggling of goods into the country by Moroccans living abroad and how the influx of these Moroccans every summer effect the ideas and values of the community.
Morocco: Globalization and Its Consequences by Cohen and Jaidi. The book examines the development of Morocco within the Islamic world of North Africa. It examines Morocco based on the effects of globablization and how that contrasts with Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.
Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges by Marvine Howe. An account of the early days of independence in Morocco.
The Mellah of Marrakesh: Jewish and Muslim Space in Morocco's Red City by Emily Gottreich. This book examines the patterns of how Jews and Muslims as well as other expats interacted in Marrakesh.
Knowledge and Power in Morocco by Dale F. Eickelman. The book examines Islamic education and its role in Morocco from Independence to the Present.
Film

Definitive List of Moroccan Movies is available on the Friends of Morocco website. This list is more than a list of Hollywood movies shot in Morocco, they are movies about Moroccan life and culture.
Moroccan Music

A sample of Moroccan music is available at the Moroccanmusic.com. They also have information on the Fes Sacred Music Festival and the Gnawa Festival.
An extensive sample of Moroccan music is available on morocnet. This is a thorough sampling of various types of Moroccan music.
Paul Bowles compilation of Moroccan Music is available at the American Folklife Center
Articles on Moroccan Music are listed on the Friends of Morocco website
The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco (available on Amazon). A compilation of traditional and modern Moroccan music.

morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco

Moroccan Culture

Moroccan Culture

Guide to Moroccan culture, society, language, etiquette, manners, customs and protocol.

Learning a foreign language is inextricably tied to learning about culture, because the countries that speak a given language all have some effect on that language (of course, some more than others). Most language students, and certainly anyone who speaks a second language fluently, are aware of this, because it is impossible to speak a language well without understanding the cultures that go hand-in-hand with it. Unfortunately for French students, there are so many francophone countries that learning about all of the related cultures is virtually impossible. Most teachers who want to foster an understanding of francophone cultures in their students are forced to focus on the "bigger" French-speaking countries like France and Canada.

I lived in Morocco from September 2000 to March 2003 and felt that I had a wonderful opportunity there to introduce French students to another member country of the francophone community. By living in this francophone country, I was able to share my first-hand experience with the culture. I wrote articles periodically on various aspects of Moroccan culture. In this way I hope to bring Moroccan culture alive for French students who might not otherwise have a chance to learn about it.

I did my best to bring the articles to life with pictures and personal anecdotes. All of the information in these articles was drawn from my personal, day-to-day experiences and in-country research in Casablanca. My goal is not to pass judgment on Moroccan culture; rather, it is to bring this rich culture to life for French speakers who might not otherwise know anything about it.

morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco