Mechoui Or some regional speciality.
Dessert This may be orange á canelle, a dessert bastilla (with fresh cream and toasted nuts),
briouat bil luz ( briouat filled with almond paste), sfaa (sweet cinnamon couscous with dried
fruit and nuts, served with cream) or kaab al-ghazal .
DRINKS
To wash your diffa down and stay hydrated, you’ll need a good amount of liquid. Day and night,
don’t forget to drink plenty of bottled or purified water. Vying to quench your thirst are orange-
juice vendors loudly singing their own praises, and water vendors in fringed tajine-shaped hats
clanging brass bowls together. If you want to take up these appealing offers, ask the vendors
to pour right into your water bottle or a disposable cup – the glass cups and brass bowls are
often reused, and seldom thoroughly washed. Moroccan mint tea may be ubiquitous after
meals, but you can find a mean cup of coffee in Morocco, too. Most of it is French-pressed,
and delivers a caffeine wallop to propel you through the souqs and into the stratosphere.
Moroccan Beer, Wine & Spirits
Yes, you can drink alcohol in Morocco without offending local sensibilities, as long as you do it
discreetly. Serving alcohol within many Moroccan medinas or within view of a mosque may be
frowned upon, and liquor licences can cost an astronomical Dh20,000 – but many Moroccan
guesthouses and restaurants get around these hurdles by offering booze in a low voice, and
serving it out of sight indoors or on a terrace. So if you’re in the mood for a beer and don’t find
it on the menu, you might want to ask the waiter in a low voice, speakeasy-style.
MINT TEA ETIQUETTE
When you’re offered Moroccan mint tea, don’t expect to bolt it and be on your way. Mint tea is the hallmark of Moroccan
hospitality, and a sit-down affair that takes around half an hour. If you have the honour of pouring the tea, pour the first cup back
in the teapot to help cool it and dissolve the sugar. Then starting from your right, pour each cup of tea from as high above the
glass as you can without splashing. Your hosts will be most impressed.One note of caution: quality assurance is tricky in a Muslim country where mixologists, micro-
brewers, and licensed sommeliers are in understandably short supply, and your server may not
be able to make any personal recommendations from the wine menu. Since wines are subject
to unpredictable heat exposure in transit and storage, be sure to taste your wine before the
server leaves the table – red wines especially are subject to spoilage. Don’t hesitate to send
back a drink if something about it seems off; your server will likely take your word for it.
Beer
Casa A fine local pilsner beer
Flag A faintly herbal second-best
Flag Special Affordable and the most popular beverage in Morocco (25 million units consumed
annually)