When it comes to Morocco and popular drinks, people tend to think of Mint tea but little do people know about Moroccan Coffee and the culture around it and no, it’s nothing like Arabic coffee.
You won’t find people drinking it on the go as the takeaway culture doesn’t really exist however use it as a tool for social and leisurely activity. People don’t take coffee in order to wake their spirits up and become more energetic, rather they take it in Cafés in order to get some social interaction and meet up with their friends or close family members.
Personally, I find it lovely to visit coffee shops in Morocco and find people sitting and actually talking to each whatever the subject may be. There are places such as Starbucks and Costa popping up but still, people don’t do take away. You will find coffee shops everywhere and some you will find are full of men however ladies, don’t let that put you off, go in as I do. It’s not women are not social, just women tend to pop over to family or friends or do some other leisure activity.
Moroccan Nous Nous Coffee in Marrakech Morocco[/caption]There are two main coffee drinks in Morocco Café Noir (Kahwa kahla) which is an espresso if you want it slightly larger than add the word ‘allongée’ the other is my favourite which is Nous Nous (literally means half half) which is predominately a female coffee drink (I have no idea why), similar to a flat white it’s half coffee half milk. It’s not that women don’t order black coffee in Morocco, it’s just that most women tend to prefer Nous Nous, if you’re more of a black coffee person, then there is no issue there. Nous Nous is traditionally served in a glass but can come large or small. Sometimes the waiter will come with the milk and add the desired amount of coffee in front of you.
Depending on the coffee shops and areas you go to you can expect to pay as little as 5dh for a coffee up to 35dh in the larger coffee shops or towns. The higher end coffee shops, you would expect to get a small bottle of water with your coffee included.
One thing that will surprise you in Morocco is the amount of sugar given with your coffee, there is no such thing as small sachets or cubes in Morocco. Even though I have grown up in a Moroccan family I still can’t get over the amount of sugar consumed, maybe because I never drink sugar in my coffee.
So, how do you like yours?
