The national drink is mint tea ( atay deeyal naanaa in Arabic, thé à la menthe in French, "Whisky Marocain" as locals boast), Chinese gunpowder green tea flavoured with sprigs of mint ( naanaa in Arabic: the gift of Allah) and sweetened with a minimum of four cubes of sugar per cup, or four lumps knocked off a sugar loaf - something you won't find nowadays in many other parts of the world. It tastes a little sickly at first (you can ask for it with little or no sugar - shweeya soukar or ble soukar ) but is worth getting used to. It's perfect in the summer heat and a ritual if you're invited into anyone's home or if you're doing any serious bargaining in a shop. In cafés, it is usually cheaper to ask for a pot ( une théière ) for two or three people.

 

In winter, Moroccans often add chiba (Arabic for wormwood, absinthe in French) to their tea to 'keep out the cold'. You can also get black tea ( atai ahmar in Arabic, thé rouge in French, literally meaning "red tea") - inevitably made with the ubiquitous Lipton's tea bags, a brand fondly believed by Moroccans to be typically English. Herbal infusions include aniseed ( anis ) and verbena ( verveine ).

Also common at cafés and street stalls are a range of wonderful fresh-squeezed juices : orange juice ( jus d'orange in French, 'asir burtuqal in Arabic - if you don't want sugar in it, remember to say so), almond mik ( jus d'amande or 'asir louze ), banana "juice", meaning milk-shake ( jus des bananes or 'asir mooz ) and apple milk-shake ( jus de pomme or 'asir tufah ). Leben - soured milk - is tastier than it sounds, and does wonders for an upset stomach.

Other soft drinks inevitably include Coke, Fanta and other fizzy soda pops - all pretty inexpensive and sold in large bottles. Mineral water , which is a worthwhile investment throughout the country, is usually referred to by brand name, ubiquitously the still Sidi Harazem or Sidi Ali (some people claim to be able to tell one from the other), or the naturally sparkling Oulmès .

Coffee ( café ) is best in French-style cafés - either noir (black), cassé (with a drop of milk), or au lait (with a lot of milk). Instant coffee is known, like teabag tea, after its brand - in this case Nescafé .

Lastly, do not take risks with milk : buy it fresh and drink it fresh. If it smells remotely off, don't touch it.